Sunshine Coast and Noosa councils hope to clamp down on illegal dumping with state government support after a wave of incidents.
Local authorities will apply for funding from the Queensland Government’s new Fighting Illegal Dumping Partnership Program, which would help them employ compliance officers and purchase surveillance equipment.
Their appeals come after statistics revealed the extent of the problem.
Sunshine Coast Council stated that it received and investigated more than 6100 community reports of illegal dumping during the past three years, while Noosa Council said there were 691 incidents in 2025, which was 120 more than the previous year.
Sunshine Coast Council has benefited from some state support in recent years, and will apply for more help in 2026.
“During the most recent grant period, this work resulted in the issuing of more than 270 infringement notices for unlawful dumping,” a spokesperson said.
“Grant funding has also helped council ensure that 87 per cent of identified offenders removed the dumped material themselves. This significantly reduces the need for council-led clean-ups and delivers important cost savings for our community.”
The spokesperson said commonly dumped items included household goods such as fridges, couches and mattresses, as well as green waste, general waste, building materials and tyres.
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Sunshine Coast Council and the Department of Environment are in the midst of an investigation into reports of several illegally dumped tyres in the region.
A state government spokesperson said a significant fine could be handed out.
“This is a serious environmental offence with a potential maximum penalty of $166,900 for the individual found to be responsible,” they said.
“Our investigation is ongoing, so we are unable to comment further at this time.”
Meanwhile, Noosa Council stated that it handed out more than $26,000 in fines for illegal dumping in 2025, and 100 incidents have already been reported this year.
Waste manager Kyrone Dodd said the council had “ramped up” efforts with community engagement, and the council has 35 surveillance cameras across the shire.
He said penalties for illegal dumping reach $3338 for individuals and $12,517 for companies.
“When you compare that to the cost of taking a medium-sized trailer or car boot load of household or green waste to the local tip, you wonder why a small minority of people continue to run the huge financial risks of getting caught dumping their waste illegally,” Mr Dodd said.
He was optimistic that local authorities would receive help in 2026.
“Council welcomes the state government’s new Fighting Illegal Dumping Partnership Program (FIDPP) and council is extremely grateful for any further support we can receive via this new initiative,” he said.
The state government stated that the new $17.7 million FIDPP would help councils employ dedicated illegal dumping compliance officers, purchase surveillance equipment, compliance signage, vehicles and other resources to enhance their capacity to investigate and prevent illegal dumping.
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Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said “we all have a responsibility” to protect the environment.
“Whether you live on the coast, in the regions or out west, every Queenslander deserves clean parks and healthy waterways,” he said.
“This program is a major step toward delivering exactly that.”
For more information on disposing waste and to report illegal dumping see Sunshine Coast, Noosa Council and state government websites.
