WA’s City of Swan Council has applauded the $9,264 in penalties handed down to an individual after being convicted of multiple littering offences and abandoning shopping trolleys in South Guildford.
The Council says the conviction follows an increase in illegal dumping reports in South Guildford, prompting Council’s Community Safety Rangers to deploy a mobile security camera tower to monitor the area.
Footage captured during the investigation showed the individual on three separate occasions pushing shopping trolleys loaded with various materials and abandoning both the items and the trolleys on a verge without approval.
City Waste Services was required to clean up multiple piles of rubbish, including broken bicycle parts, household furniture, and other assorted items.The offender was charged with several littering offences and offences relating to the abandonment of shopping trolleys.
After failing to appear in court, the individual was convicted in their absence. The Court imposed a $5,000 fine, ordered payment of the City’s legal costs of $1,646.30, and clean-up costs of $2,617.96, bringing the total amount imposed by the Court to $9,264.26.
“The outcome sends a clear message that illegal dumping will not be tolerated. The introduction of local laws relating to the dumping of shopping trolleys also carry significant penalties,” Council said in a statement.
The City of Swan’s Reduce Illegal Dumping (RID) program encourages resident reporting, offers free waste disposal options and provides community education workshops. Key initiatives include two annual bulk verge collections, access to the Red Hill Waste Management Facility and recycling centres in Bullsbrook and Malaga.
