Illegal dumping a load of rubbish

Burdekin Shire Council is reminding residents that all fridges, freezers and airconditioners, degassed or not, are accepted free of charge at all Burdekin waste facilities.

The reminder comes following further instances of the items being found dumped illegally across the Shire, in areas that would take more time to travel to than the waste facilities.

Waste Management Advisory Committee council representative Cr John Furnell said there was no excuse for illegal dumping.

“Council is proud to accept all domestic waste, including fridges and freezers, completely free of charge at our waste facilities – even if fridges and f r e e z e r s have not been degassed, we pick up the cost to have this done professionally to avoid discharging harmful chemicals into the atmosphere,” Cr Furnell said.

“It is extremely disappointing to see illegal dumping continue to occur across the Shire, often in areas which would require the offenders to travel further than if they visited their nearest waste facility.

“I am not sure if the offenders believe they would have to pay a fee to dispose of items at the Transfer Stations or if they enjoy breaking the law, but I want to remind them that all white goods are marked with unique serial numbers making it very easy to trace them back to their owners.

“Burdekin Shire Council’s Transfer Stations and Landfill facilities are open most days of the year and accept all domestic sorted waste for free. Council has surveillance cameras set up in many illegal dumping hot spots and an Illegal Dumping Project Officer working to not only reduce the instances of illegal dumping, but track down offenders for prosecution.”

For information on Burdekin Shire Council waste facilities and opening hours, visit bit.ly/burdekinwaste.