Green waste goes to the dump!

Thinking of dumping garden waste in bushland? Think again!

Garden waste is any material from your garden including lawn clippings, prunings, plants, twigs, branches, leaves, soil, dirt and mulch.

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These materials can become an unwanted item around the home after a general yard tidy up. It doesn’t take long to fill a trailer load of palm fronds, lawn clippings and leaves.

The Dalrymple Landcare Catchment is no stranger to weeds.  How do you think they got here in the first place?

Everyone has a responsibility to manage houseyard green waste. Deciding to dump your waste in bushland has NOTING to do with the price of green waste dumping at our local dumps. The decision lays entirely on you being reckless, further endangering our natural bushlands.

Why is illegal dumping of green waste a problem?

Illegal dumping can:

  • contaminate the environment and soil, and poison plants and animals

  • smother native vegetation

  • introduce weeds into sensitive bushland

  • pollute waterways

  • degrade culturally sensitive environments

  • make public places dangerous to use

  • create a fire risk and endanger people’s lives by blocking emergency access

Millions of dollars in ratepayer and taxpayer money is spent each year cleaning up illegally dumped green waste.

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Green Waste Fact Sheet https://www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/107019/factsheet-green-waste.pdf

Report Dumping

You can report illegal dumping at www.qld.gov.au/litter

Pin the location and add photos of the waste to the report. Make sure you get as many details as you can, including:

• time, date, place and description of litter

• registration number, make/model, colours, or distinguishing features of vehicle

• description of the person making the offence (including location in vehicle, clothing, gender).

If it is safe, take photos, but for your own safety don’t approach the person depositing the waste.

Dump Fee’s Too High?

Usually not.  Managing green waste is a part of living in today’s society.  What really needs to be taken to the dump and what can be recycled and composted in your backyard? Composting is not only good for our soil and environment, but it saves on your back pocket as well.

Check out this video on how to build a simple compost bay.  

Making a Compost

https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/building-a-compost-bay/9432330?jwsource=cl

What to add to a Compost Heap

  • Vegetable and food scraps

  • Fallen leaves (in layers)

  • Dead flowers

  • Weeds

  • Grass cuttings in layers

  • Coffee grounds

  • Tea leaves and tea bags

  • Soft stems

  • Old potting mix

  • Egg shells

  • Old newspapers (wet)

  • Used vegetable cooking oil

  • Sawdust (not from treated timber)

Of course, noxious weeds should be sealed in a bag and placed in with your general waste. This keeps them out of the compost and stops their spread in the future.

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More information on littering and illegal dumping can be found at your local council.

http://www.charterstowers.qld.gov.au/littering-illegal-dumping

 

 

 

 

 

Jayne Cuddihy