Illegal Waste Dumping: Investigations, Fines, and the Human Side

Mark Bolton has heard a lot of explanations for illegal waste dumping.

Some of them are more believable than others.

"'Somebody stole my rubbish' is an excuse I've had before," the Ipswich City Council compliance officer said.

Mr Bolton is part of a small team of investigators tasked with tracking down those responsible for waste dumped in and around the city, west of Brisbane.

Since 2019, the Queensland government has helped bankroll these teams at 48 councils across the state, in a bid to reduce a crime it says harms the environment and costs millions of dollars in clean-up fees every year.

"We get regulated waste, tyres, we have asbestos … it's not the nicest," Mr Bolton said.

"The majority is household waste, which is not as bad but [it's a problem] if it gets into the waterways. The odour that it causes as well; it's not for the weak of stomach, this job."

In hiring for these teams, local governments have looked for people with investigative backgrounds.

Mr Bolton listed former Queensland Police officers and federal law enforcement agents among some of his colleagues over the years.

"Interviewing techniques [are] one thing that I've certainly picked up from of the officers I've worked with," he said.

"Certain areas we have both covert and overt cameras that we utilise and they've been very successful."

'We will catch you'

For some councils, cracking down on illegal waste has been a financial boom.

In Logan, just east of Ipswich, mayor Jon Raven said the city's illegal dumping task force had issued $2 million in fines since 2020.

"That is more than the cost of the task force itself," he said.

"We have 1,400 cameras [placed around the city] so we can track licence plate numbers [and] we have a car recognition system.

"So if you think you're safe by covering your plates as you move towards it, we will catch you."

Mr Raven said the task force was created after a spike in illegal dumping incidents around 2020.

He believes the spike was partly driven by the state government's introduction of a waste levy in 2019, which is charged to councils in a bid to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

"[That] significantly increased the cost of disposing of general waste," he said.

"That meant you saw people starting to dump more, dump more often, and dump bigger loads."

The state government has always denied the levy has any financial impact on residents, because it provides annual rebate payments to councils as an offset.

Councils started reporting how much illegal waste they were disposing of in 2020.

The numbers show waste weights have dropped from a peak of more than 15,000 tonnes in 2022, and to around 13,000 in 2025.

Cost of living also contributing

Charities say there is a human side to the illegal dumping problem.

Bruce Laker, president of the St Vincent De Paul Society's Logan conference, said when renters were evicted for not keeping up with payments, some dumped items they cannot get rid of.

"They've got all this furniture, they've got a yard full of rubbish as well and it just piles up and piles up because a lot of them don't even have a car," he said.

"They will try to get rid of as much as they can, but a lot of times they'll just leave it behind."

Mr Laker has loaded furniture into his ute to help several people in Logan relocate to either a new private rental or social housing property.

"If you look at any company that is going to assist you in moving, you're looking at about $120 per hour. They can't afford that," Mr Laker said.

But Mr Raven said it would be a mistake to overstate the link between dumping and financial pressures.

"What we're seeing more and more is that even in cities that have free waste disposal … illegal dumping will still happen," he said.

"And when people see others disrespecting the community and the environment it lowers their sense of pride in the city and their sense of safety as well."

After 16 years in waste compliance, Mark Bolton also has a low tolerance for excuses.

"[There are valid reasons] but a lot of the time it's just sheer laziness," he said.

"There's nothing worse than spending time going on a hike or spending the time in the environment and you're coming across piles of waste and the impact that has not only on you ... [but] the environment as well."