The ACT Government is urging Canberrans to be responsible and recycle their unwanted mattresses this holiday season and not to illegally dump them.
“Illegal dumping costs the community a significant amount of taxpayers’ funds. Cleaning up illegal dumping places a burden on the ACT Government and costs time and money as staff need to be diverted from their regular duties to investigate and deal with the issue. While most people do the right thing and dispose of their unwanted goods responsibly, there are members of the community who do illegally dump and we want to send a clear message that this is unacceptable behaviour,” said Manager of Place Management at Transport Canberra and City Services, Jane Carder.
“It is an offence under the Litter Act 2004 to dump rubbish in a public place and if caught, the penalties applied could be up to $7,500. In the 2016-17 financial year, there were 706 incidents of mattresses illegally dumped in the ACT, costing the ACT Government around $16,000 in disposal fees alone. In the present financial year, there have been 220 incidents of mattresses illegally dumped so far.
“The ACT Government offers a range of avenues to recycle and dispose of mattresses including a bulky waste collection service for eligible concession card holders allowing for the recycling of one mattress per household per year.
“Residents can recycle their mattresses through Soft Landing at Hume which stops items going to landfill with almost 90 percent of mattress components recycled. Soft Landing will come and collect from $30.65 per mattress or they can be dropped off to Soft Landing from $24.
“Also, re-use facilities like The Green Shed and charities such a www.GIVIT.org.au allow people to make donations of items they no longer need and that may be of benefit to others members of the community.
“Illegal dumping cost the taxpayers of Canberra approximately $400,000 in the 2016-17 financial year. It is important that we work together to reduce and eliminate incidents of illegal dumping across the ACT.”
You are encouraged to report illegal dumping to Access Canberra on 13 22 81 or fill out the Access Canberra Feedback Form.
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