ACASTERTON resident whose name is – literally – all over a load of rubbish, dumped illegally in bush west of Casterton, is on notice: “Clean up your crap”, or you will be reported to the relevant authorities.


About five years ago Yahl resident, Brad Little purchased his Corndale property as a weekender and regularly spends time there, taking advantage of the connecting fire and bush tracks and trails to go motorbike riding.


His visit last weekend was soured by the discovery of “about a trailer load” of household rubbish, some in garbage bags and some loose, illegally dumped in a patch of remnant scrub.


“We were a bit further over, between the Penola Road and the (Glenelg Highway), closer to the Mount Gambier road,” Mr Little said.


“It was in, you know those little patches of redgums, in the wet areas amongst the pines, but on the edge.


“Someone’s been through it, or maybe animals, kicked it around, scattered it about.


“I do not know how long it’s been there … we have ridden through there heaps of times, maybe just have not noticed it.”


Mr Little said while the area he rode near his home residence “is bad for it”, this was the first time he had seen an illegal dumpsite in the Corndale area and was offering the apparent perpetrator the opportunity to clean up their mess, before taking the matter further.


“This is the first time I have come across it here, I have been here five years,” he said.


“It’s a sh#t thing to do … just messing up the place for everyone else.


“I do not know if it’s just lazy, but to bring (the rubbish out here) takes time and they have to unload it, or they just do not want to pay to get rid of it.


“Over (Mt Gambier) way you see it all the time … I go through it … the best part is, these (people) do not check what they are throwing out.


“I normally look for something that’s got a name on it, you look for more than one thing so you make sure you’re getting it right.


“This stuff looks like it’s all dumped by the same person … the same name’s on everything, the same address.


“So … this is the chance for that person … clean up your crap, before I report it.”


Alternately, if you recognise any of the items in the picture as belonging to you, but were not responsible for dumping the items outside of designated waste disposal sites, the Editor invites you to contact the Casterton News.


Plantations prime dumping ground


MR LITTLE’S complaint comes just eight months after forestry companies reported a detectable increase in rubbish dumping in publicly accessible forests, creating significantly increased fire risk and thousands in clean-up costs for timber companies.


In November, 2024, OneFortyOne Mount Gambier area supervisor Jeremy Cookson said the company had about 190 sites across its forests with uncollected rubbish.


“We have spent close to $100,000 alone as an organisation last year on rubbish management,” he said.


“It’s more just in line with the way of the world at the moment, the financial pressures on people and probably just a lack of education about where they can get rid of their rubbish.”


He said mattresses, car tyres, white goods and televisions were among items regularly dumped.


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According to Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority, the two most common types of dumped waste reported are household waste (19% of all waste reports) and liquid waste (17% of all waste reports), however building rubble, asbestos and contaminated soil are often dumped to avoid paying waste levies.


In January this year, Casterton News received photos and a report from a reader who wished to remain anonymous, of a large amount of waste building material that had been dumped adjacent to the Casterton-Apsley Road.


“Today … whilst driving past Deep Creek on the Casterton-Apsley Road, I noticed that somebody … has chosen to either increase their profit margin or save money by using the above mentioned area as a dumping ground,” he said.


In Victoria, you break the law if you dump, abandon or bury any kind of waste at a place not authorised to accept it – this includes private land.


The general environmental duty requires everyone to eliminate or reduce their risk of harm to human health and the environment and dumping waste does not meet this duty; waste duties apply to anyone who generates, transports or receives waste.


Illegal dumping of household waste, such as televisions, appliances and furniture, as well as any dumped on residential or council-owned land, should be reported to the relevant council.


Other types of dumped waste and rubbish, including industrial waste, garden waste and soil and cars, can be reported directly to the EPA’s 24-hour pollution hotline on 1300 372 842.


In Victoria, individuals found illegally dumping waste can face on-the-spot fines of up to $1800, or fines of more than $40,000 if the matter is prosecuted in court.


Businesses face even steeper penalties, with on-the-spot fines potentially reaching more than $9000 and court-imposed penalties exceeding $218,000.


For serious offences, individuals could face up to seven years imprisonment and a fine of more than $1.2m for a corporation.