On the back of Clean up Australia Day on Friday, 4 March, Warrumbungle Shire Council has called on residents to join in the fight against illegal dumping across the region.

A new tool has been introduced in the battle of the rubbish to make it easier to identify problem areas.

Warrumbungle Shire Council mayor, Ambrose Doolan, said Council staff already regularly patrol known hotspots for illegal dumping, but a new program would allow residents to shed light on other problematic areas.

As long as residents have a smart device or camera they can help the cause with just a click of a button, taking a photo of the waste and uploading the image to ridonline.epa.nsw.gov.au.

The GPS location of the dumping site will automatically register and compliance officers can add that area to the known list of hotspots.

“This new program aims to clean up our communities and follows on from the insight into illegal dumping gained through a recent study carried out by Council,” Cr Doolan said.

“This initiative will allow Council’s compliance officers to identify more illegal dumping hotspot areas with the help from the community, and take further action against persons found to be dumping rubbish.

“Council is encouraging the community to get on board and dob in a dumper to help out with this great initiative.

“We already know that there are dumping hotspots in the Shire, but more data will help add to the bigger picture of problem areas.

“So as part of this initiative, let’s work together to put a stop to illegal dumping.”

Cr Doolan stressed the importance of the issue in relation to Coonabarabran and the Shire as a whole.

“Driving past and seeing rubbish dumped everywhere is counterproductive to what we are trying to achieve,” he said.

“We want visitors to this town to come and stay and tell friends and family about their experience here so they come and visit.

“That’s not going to happen if there’s waste illegally dumped around the place.

“Plus it’s important for our fragile environment to make sure illegal dumping is stamped out.

“So this way it allows our residents to join that fight and help clean up our community and keep it clean.”

Early education

The youth in the town have also been actively involved in keeping our town clean with Coonabarabran Public School doing their bit last Friday.

All classes from kindergarten to year six were out scouring the school grounds and the immediate vicinity for rubbish.

A school spokesperson said it was a successful morning with students filling a number of bags full of rubbish.

As part of the lead up to Clean up Australia Day, Wes Leedham and the team from Warrumbungle National Park Environmental Education Centre performed workshops with students.

“Our staff has worked with many of the schools in the area and helped do up waste audits to reduce food waste, scraps and single use plastics and assisted with putting together an action plan,” he said.

“On the Thursday the students from Binnaway Public School went on a paddle along the Castlereagh River and looked at and spoke about ways to clean it up and improve the overall health of the system.”

TOP: Warrumbungle Shire Council mayor, Cr. Ambrose Doolan, pictured at one of the illegal dumping “hotspots”.