ILLEGAL dumping has been a not irregular occurrence in the Gympie region, with more extreme cases involving great truckloads of domestic refuse and furniture being dumped at what is now one of the region’s most popular and beautiful public areas - The Sands, on the Mary River Trail.

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More recently, illegally dumped rubbish has caused public anger in the Mary Valley and at Tin Can Bay - and these are just the ones discovered by people.

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With great tracts of national park and state forest throughout the region, it wouldn’t be too difficult to get away with it.

A Eumundi resident was fined more than $2100 this month after being prosecuted by Sunshine Coast Regional Council for dumping rubbish in a nature reserve. The council’s “illegal dumping officers” carried out the investigation which resulted in the successful prosecution.

Gympie Regional Council says it is not aware of any prosecutions for illegal dumping in the Gympie region this year.

“(Gympie) council takes any reports of illegal dumping seriously because of the potential health risks to the environment and the community,” a council spokeswoman said.

“Most incidents of illegal dumping (in this region) are household items such as furniture, electrical goods and bedding. Green waste such as palm fronds, is also commonly dumped illegally. Any illegal dumpings are usually less than a trailer load in quantity.

“Gympie Regional Council works closely with the State Government’s Litter and Illegal Dumping Unit to manage any illegal dumping within the Gympie Region. It is the State Government’s Litter and Illegal Dumping Unit that will investigate instances of illegal dumping and prosecute accordingly.

“Council is not aware of any prosecutions for illegal dumping this year.”

Sunshine Coast councillor Christian Dickson said illegal dumping was taken very seriously and carried significant penalties.

“It was shocking to hear that this resident had gained vehicle access to a restricted track in the nature reserve and then dumped approximately 800 litres of household waste down an embankment,” he said.

“This waste could have been disposed of correctly and simply through council’s household bin collection, so it really was a senseless act.

“The dumped waste contained dangerous plastics and emitted a foul odour that had begun to attract wildlife scavengers which tore bags open, spreading the harmful plastics, risking their health and causing further environmental contamination.

“In this instance, the responsible person has returned to the site and removed the illegally dumped waste as per the compliance notice.”

The Local Government Illegal Dumping Program is a partnership with the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science.