Illegal dumpers caught red handed

Mayor of City of Canterbury Bankstown, Khal Asfour has praised the work of the Sydney Regional Illegal Dumping (RID) Squad and a Highway Patrol Officer after a man was caught and fined for dumping a tonne of waste in Sydney’s Royal National Park.

The man was caught after a Highway Patrol Officer captured him on video driving a truck full of waste to Fornell Avenue.

Thanks to video evidence the man was fined $4,000 for transporting the tonne of hazardous waste to an unlawful waste facility and was forced to clean up the waste himself, which Police later confirmed.

The Sydney RID Squad is hosted by the City of Canterbury Bankstown. Mayor Khal Asfour said that he was incredibly proud of the work the Squad was accomplishing.

“This is a difficult time, but as Mayor of this City I am making sure our essential services continue and the RID Squad will make sure that illegal dumping is driven down,” he said.

“Our investigators can work on cases and operations individually and they are adhering to social distancing; their health and safety is our priority as they continue this important work.”

Manager of the Sydney RID Squad, Darryl Atkins, said it was a great win as loose soil and construction waste that was dumped could have been difficult for investigators to trace.

“Our investigators are an incredibly dedicated lot, and on this occasion we apprehended this individual red-handed thanks to their efforts,” Mr Atkins said.

“The Sydney RID Squad works because we don’t operate in isolation – we work with the NSW Environment Protection Authority and seven local councils to catch serial dumpers across council borders.

“We work closely with Police and we get tip offs from the public, which helps us make sure these crooks don’t get away with doing the wrong thing.”

Although parts of the City are empty due to public health orders, investigators at the Sydney RID Squad are determined to catch any opportunistic illegal dumpers on quiet streets.

“Don’t think because the streets are empty that you won’t be caught for illegal dumping. You will be caught, you will be fined, and if you persist we will throw the book at you,” said Mr Atkins.

To report illegal dumping online visit ridonline.epa.nsw.gov.au

The RID Squads are supported by the NSW Environment Protection Authority with funding from the waste levy. For more information about the Sydney RID Squad, visit the website here.