$6,462 in fines and costs for illegal dumping

Published on 30 May 2023

A man has been fined $4,000 and ordered to pay further costs of $2,462 after been found guilty of illegally dumping building waste in the Byron Shire in 2021.

The incident happened on Tyagarah Road at Tyagarah on 29 March 2021.

Ralph James, Byron Shire Council’s Legal Counsel, said a member of the public spotted the tip truck dumping a large load of timber and other building materials near the exit to the motorway and reported it.

“Staff investigated the next day and with the information that was provided to us by the local resident, we were able to mount a very strong prosecution which included the name of the Queensland-based business, the registration number of the truck and its GPS tracked movements on the day of the offence,” Mr James said.

The person was convicted in the Byron Bay Local Court this week and ordered to pay fines and costs of $6,462.

“To dispose of this waste at the Byron Resource Recovery Centre would have cost $100, a lot cheaper than the fine and court costs,” Mr James said.

Mr James also said that in imposing the fines and costs, the court was sending a strong message to the community that actions of this kind will not be dealt with lightly.

“I would like to thank the resident who reported this incident because it sends a message to people that our community will not tolerate this sort of behaviour,” Zoe White, Resource Recovery Education and Compliance Officer, said.

Illegal dumping is not acceptable, and Council investigates every report and launches legal proceedings wherever and whenever possible.

People can report illegal dumping via https://ridonline.epa.nsw.gov.au.

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