Reducing illegal dumping for charitable recyclers

Program snapshot

Category: Illegal dumping grants

Amounts: Total grant funding of $50,000, individual grants to the value of $7000

Eligible bodies: Registered NSW Charitable Recycler Organisations

Contact: illegaldumping.strategy@epa.nsw.gov.au

Status: Closed. Sticker signage still available (see below)

Managed by: NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA)

An estimated 40% of donations to NSW charities are unusable. Many charities operate drop-off bins and shopfronts to collect clothing and other items for sale. Items left by bins and outside shopfronts are often destroyed by exposure to dirt or weather or are of such poor quality they cannot be sold. Disposing of this waste costs millions of dollars each year that could have been spent helping others.

The EPA can work with local councils and charitable organisations to tackle this issue, through education and raising awareness, and by taking regulatory action.

Aims

Under the NSW Illegal Dumping Strategy 2014–2016 the EPA has run an annual grant program for charitable recyclers to help them prevent illegal dumping.

The Reducing Illegal Dumping on NSW Charitable Recyclers (RIDCR) program aims to prevent illegal dumping around donation bins and shopfronts by providing support to successful applicants.

Support to date includes funding

  • surveillance cameras
  • lighting
  • gates and fencing
  • education programs

Available resources

The EPA has developed 7 sticker signs in Prevention resources for charities to install outside shopfronts and on recycling donation bins to discourage donators from leaving goods on the footpath or by the bin.

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