The Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) has welcomed the Queensland Government’s announcement of funding to assist farmers and landholders with the cost of removing and safely disposing of illegally dumped waste.

Farmers can now apply for grants of up to $50,000 through the Illegal Dumping Grant Program to remove illegally dumped waste and hazardous waste from their land.

QFF CEO Dr Georgina Davis said farmers were seeing an increase in the incidences of illegal dumping on their land.

“Illegally dumped waste has become notably worse for the state’s farmers with the introduction of the waste levy in 2019 and has not abated as the levy continues to rise,” Dr Davis said.

“Illegal waste operators see opportunities to maximise their profits by not doing the right thing and responsibly disposing of their wastes to licenced facilities for appropriate recovery or disposal.”

“This leaves farmers and other landholders to bear the cost of clean-up, any remediation where contaminants have escaped, and the disposal costs including the levy.”

Dr Davis said while most local governments provide ongoing reporting of the illegal dumping in their area, this does not typically include the wastes illegally deposited on private land.

“QFF is calling for the establishment of a database where landholders can document incidents of illegal dumping on their land so that the full extent of the issue and its costs including financial, social and environmental, can be quantified.”

“There also must be steeper penalties and deterrents for those businesses engaged in the illegal dumping of wastes.”

The Illegal Dumping Grant Program is open now and will close on 18 February 2022, farmers can find more information and apply here: www.qld.gov.au/environment/pollution/management/waste/litter-illegal-dumping/grants-funding.

Source
Media Release
Queensland Farmers’ Federation