Two men who illegally dumped household waste in Coimadai have been fined $13,000 plus clean-up costs.
Moorabool council prosecuted the men in the Ballarat Magistrates Court after being alerted to a massive amount of household waste which had been dumped on the side of Reservoir Road, Coimadai, in January 2022.
In a statement, council said evidence from the rubbish led it to two residents from a neighbouring shire who told council they had paid a rubbish removal service to clean up and dispose of a large amount of rubbish from their home.
An investigation proved this to be the case, council said.
Council began its court case against two men in September last year, with the case finishing on June 16.
The court fined one of the men $5000 and ordered him to pay $5000 in legal fees, while the other man was fined $8000 and ordered to pay $440 in legal fees.
Both men were ordered to pay clean-up costs of $12,284
“This is a great outcome for preserving the health of our communities and the integrity of our natural assets,” council’s acting chief executive Caroline Buisson said.
“We hope this deters others from illegally dumping goods on Moorabool’s roadways, state parks or anywhere rubbish doesn’t belong.”
Councils aid the illegal dumping of materials, whether household, building materials, chemicals or general waste, costs it about $80,000 a year to clean up.
It encouraged any residents who see it occurring to contact council.
Residents are reminded not to search through the rubbish to see who it belongs to as this can hinder any legal proceedings.
