Calls to dob in dumpers at Macquarie Pass as trash piles up

Industrial waste, old tyres and domestic rubbish is regularly dumped there, and fines of at least $300 are failing to deter some people, authorities say.

The most recent illegal dumping was on Friday, June 21, when 12 old tyres, furniture and a cut up palm tree were left at the Cascade Falls Parking area.

The fine, however, is sometimes cheaper than the cost to legally leave a tonne of rubbish at Wollongong council's Whytes Gully waste depot.

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The depot charges $426 per tonne for mixed general waste and $160 for a garden/wood waste. It is the same cost for commercial/business and householders.

The minimum charge is $8.50 for mixed general waste for householders (20 kilograms or less), or $16 for garden/wood waste (100kg or less).

For commercial/business rubbish the minimum cost is $85 for mixed general waste (200kg or less) or $32 for garden/wood (200kg or less).

The cost to leave tyres at the depot depends on whether they're for cars/motorbikes ($10) or light trucks/4WD ($18). Tyres with rims cost even more. There is no price listed for large truck tyres.

A spokesman for National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) confirmed dumping regularly occurs in the Macquarie Pass National Park.

"NPWS conduct regular inspections of Macquarie Pass National Park and collect dumped waste as soon as they can," he said.

"NPWS work closely with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and local council regarding rubbish dumping."

The NPWS spokesman urged people to report illegal waste dumping to the EPA on 131 555 or visit RID (Report Illegal Dumping) online.