Shannon Grant Robinson, 44, used a tip truck to dump a chopped-up tree that had been removed from his garden. The truck was recorded by a hidden camera entering Hopkins Road in Nowergup on 15 February 2022 at 11:54am with the load of green waste in the rear of the vehicle, and then recorded again leaving the site without the green waste at 12:01pm.
The waste was later found dumped at the site in the middle of an unsealed road.
In the Joondalup Magistrates Court on 7 October 2022 a penalty of $2,500 was imposed with costs of $788.30.
The maximum penalty for the offence under Section 49A(3) of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 is $62,500 for an individual.
In sentencing, Magistrate Erin O’Donnell said it was not appropriate to dump green waste in the middle of an unsealed road in a state forest, and that the waste was a danger to the environment and the public.
Department of Water and Environmental Regulation Senior Manager Waste Operations, Matt Warnock said dumping of any material in bushland was a serious issue.
“While green waste is less hazardous than household rubbish, it is still an offence to dump it in a state forest,” he said.
“Green waste can introduce weeds into natural bushland, it will dry out and create a fire hazard, and when dumped on an unsealed road it can create a driving hazard for others.”
Anyone who witnesses illegal dumping is asked to call the department’s Pollution Watch Hotline on 1300 784 782, email pollutionwatch@dwer.wa.gov.au or call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
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