Member for Northern Victoria, Wendy Lovell, has strongly backed the City of Whittlesea’s call for a fairer distribution of Waste Levy funds, as illegal rubbish dumping continues to plague communities and burden local councils with skyrocketing cleanup costs.
Illegal dumping is becoming an increasingly serious issue across Victoria.
“It’s a prolific and growing problem,” Ms Lovell said.
“Individuals and businesses are deliberately avoiding the Municipal and Industrial Waste Levy by dumping waste illegally, leaving councils to pick up the pieces.”
Currently, councils must cover the cost of cleaning up everything from household waste to building materials dumped along roadsides, in parks, on private land, and in bushland. These operations are expensive, time-consuming, and take vital funding away from other council services such as maintaining public spaces, supporting community programs, and upgrading infrastructure.
“The cost to councils is exploding as the volume of dumped rubbish increases,” Ms Lovell said. “Without financial assistance, this is simply not sustainable,” Ms Lovell added.
Adding further strain, the State Government has legislated a significant increase to the Waste Levy. From 1 July, the levy will rise from $130 to $170 per tonne—a nearly 30 per cent increase. Ms Lovell warned that this hike will only worsen the illegal dumping crisis. “The more expensive it becomes to dispose of waste legally, the more tempting it becomes for offenders to dump it illegally.”
While councils struggle, the funds collected from the Waste Levy are channelled to various environmental agencies and the State Government’s Sustainability Fund. Ms Lovell says it’s time for a rethink about how those funds are used.
“The Sustainability Fund is sitting on a massive cash reserve, and it’s expected to grow to $1.7 billion by 2027–28,” she said. “Yet, most councils haven’t seen a cent to help tackle illegal dumping or improve local waste infrastructure.”
In 2023–24, $156 million was allocated from the fund, but more than half of that went toward climate change initiatives—not directly to waste management, despite the fund’s original purpose. Under section 449 of the Environmental Protection Act, the Sustainability Fund’s primary objective is to “foster environmentally sustainable uses of resources and best practices in waste management.”
Ms Lovell said it’s time to realign the fund’s priorities.
“Councils are doing their best with limited resources, but they need real support. These funds were raised through the Waste Levy—they should be helping councils reduce illegal dumping and promote responsible disposal practices.”
As the cost of legal waste disposal rises, so too does the risk that Victoria will see more rubbish dumped in our parks, along roads, and in waterways. Ms Lovell is urging the State Government to give local governments a fair share of the Waste Levy revenue, to ensure they can meet this growing challenge head-on.
“If we don’t act now, the problem will only get worse. It’s time to back our councils and clean up Victoria,” she said.
