On the afternoon of Thursday, 21 April 2022, Robert Bruce FORBES was recorded on a security camera in the car park of the Alexander Heights shopping centre dumping the furniture from a hired Toyota utility.
There was a large sign in the car park warning against leaving furniture or household items at the location.
The 46 year-old was later charged with dumping waste under Section 49A(3) of the Environmental Protection Act 1986. The offence carries a maximum penalty for an individual of $62,500.
In the Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday 7 July 2023, Mr Forbes entered a plea of guilty and was fined $3,500 with an additional $788.30 costs.
Magistrate Sandra De Maio noted that the signage in the car park was clear and stated that general deterrence was a very important factor for this offence before imposing the penalty.
The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s Executive Director for Compliance and Enforcement, Kelly Faulkner, said illegal dumping at charity bins was a major problem, with 5,100 tonnes of unwanted or unusable goods left at WA donation points each year.
“The cost of disposing of this material to landfill diverts significant funds from charities, reducing their ability to provide their important services to our community,” she said.
“In this case, none of the dumped items could be used by the charity.”
“Supporting charities with donations is something the WA community should continue to do. However, items being donated must be able to be on-sold by the charity.”
To report illegal dumping, contact DWER’s Pollution Watch Hotline on 1300 784 782.
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