Litter and Illegal Dumping

The City’s Rangers monitor littering in the City under the Litter Act and can impose on-the-spot fines for offenders. The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation investigates and prosecutes for illegal dumping under the Environmental Protection Act.

Litter control in the City

The City’s Rangers keep Cockburn tidy by making sure the community complies with the Litter Act. Rangers may impose on-the-spot fines for breaches of the Litter Act.

Help us to keep our City tidy:

• Deposit litter in proper refuse bins and receptacles
• Do not deposit commercial and domestic refuse in public litter bins
• Secure and properly cover loads on trailers, utilities and open trucks
• Do not deposit refuse in bushland or parks
• Do not allow building site refuse to adversely affect neighbours
• Return shopping trolleys to the store and do not abandon them in streets or parks.

Make a difference in your neighbourhood by organising a community clean-up or signing up to the Keep Australia Beautiful Adopt-a-Spot Community Clean-Up program. Register your one-off clean up and learn about adopting-a-spot via the Keep Australia Beautiful website and you will be supplied with resources to help.

Illegal dumping

lllegal dumping is an offence that costs ratepayers and the City approximately $1.5M a year in clean-up costs and resources. Illegal dumping is anything that can fit into the size of a small trailer. Anything less is littering.

Illegal dumping is not only an eyesore for residents; it can also attract vermin and other scavenging animals to the area. Over time, this can negatively impact local property prices. Dumping of hazardous waste can also affect the environment if it is not contained correctly and can be dangerous for residents, especially children. 

If offenders are caught and prosecuted, they face fines, clean-up and court costs ranging from approximately $1,000 - $62,500 for individuals, and up to $125,000 for businesses. Offenders' details, including business details, are also made public, which can result in reputational damage and loss of income for the individual or company involved.  

Where can I dispose of my bulk waste? 

All ratepayers in Cockburn receive six trailer passes per year to the Henderson Waste Recovery Centre (HWRC). Renters also have the right to ask their landlord for their trailer passes to the HWRC; otherwise, it costs $50 per load per car or $65 for a utility or trailer not exceeding 1m3. Tyres can also be disposed of at the HWRC.

Reporting illegal dumping

The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation is responsible for investigating and prosecuting offenders who illegally dump their goods. You can report suspicious activity to the Pollution Watch Hotline on 1300 784 782 (24 hours) or via [email protected].

Abandoned shopping trolleys

Sometimes abandoned shopping trolleys are found in parks, on verges, especially surrounding some of our shopping centres. If you spot an abandoned trolley you can report it using one of the following methods:

Big W and Woolworths trolleys

To report an abandoned Big W or Woolworths shopping trolley please go to Trolley Tracker website, or call 1800 641497.        

Farmer Jacks trolleys

Farmer Jacks Spearwood have scheduled patrols at least twice a week to pick up any abandoned trolleys found on the street verges or parks. You can also contact 08 9434 6005.

Coles trolleys

To report an abandoned Coles shopping trolley please go to the Coles website. Reported trolleys will be collected by our team on their next scheduled street run.

IGA trolleys

To report an abandoned IGA shopping trolley please contact the closest IGA store. 

Seabin reducing ocean litter

In January 2019, the City installed Western Australia's first Seabin at the Port Coogee Marina (northern corner, close to Dome Cafe) to capture marine litter in the local area. The Seabin is a floating rubbish bin designed to be installed in the water of marinas, yacht clubs and ports.

The Seabin can catch an estimated 1.5kg of floating rubbish per day, including coffee cups, plastic bottles, bait bags, cigarette butts, straws, balloons and micro-plastics that are only 2mm in size. The Seabin also collects detergents, fuels and oils.

Water is sucked in from the surface and passes through a catch bag inside the Seabin. The water is then pumped back into the marina leaving litter and debris trapped in the catch bag to be disposed of properly. The City will be monitoring the amount and type of litter collected and feeding this data into the Seabin Global Ambassador Program. 

The Seabin is only part of the solution to marine debris. The City of Cockburn encourages everyone to do their bit to dispose of their waste responsibly to keep our waterways pristine.

For more information about the Seabin, visit the Seabin website. 

More information and contact

Please contact Ranger Services to report litter on 08 9411 3444 or at [email protected]. Contact the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation for more information on illegal dumping.