Caught and convicted

Two men who illegally dumped waste in the Moorabool Shire have been fined thousands of dollars.

The household waste was dumped in Coimadai and the matter heard recently after Council successfully had them prosecuted in the Ballarat Magistrates Court. The men were fined $13,000 plus clean-up costs.

The court case began in September 2022, but concluded on Friday 16 June, with the judge fining one man $5,000 and another $5,000 for legal fees, and the other man $8,000 and $440 for legal fees. Both men had conviction recorded and were ordered to pay clean-up costs of $12,284.

Council’s Acting CEO, Caroline Buisson, said the result was fantastic for the environment and community.

“This is a great outcome for preserving the health of our communities and the integrity of our natural assets. We hope this deters others from illegally dumping goods on Moorabool’s roadways, state parks or anywhere rubbish doesn’t belong,” she said.

Council was alerted to the rubbish dumping at the side of Reservoir Road, Coimadai, in January 2022, which consisted of a significant amount of household goods and rubbish.

Evidence from the rubbish led Council 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 found that the rubbish had been illegally dumped by the removal service, rather than disposed of properly.

Illegal dumping of materials, whether household, building materials, chemicals or general waste, costs Council about $80,000 a year to clean up. Residents who see any dumping of rubbish occurring are encouraged to contact Council.

Residents are also reminded not to search through the rubbish to see who it belongs to as this can hinder any legal proceedings.

The defendants were not in court during the final session, which came about after several court adjournments.

There is more information on illegal dumping on Council’s website at moorabool.vic.gov.au/dumping.