Victoria is suffering from a surge in illegally dumped rubbish, with over half of Australia’s illegal waste complaints coming solely from the state and 900 tonnes of waste dumped in one immigrant-dominated Melbourne municipality alone.
Data from from the Snap Send Solve app shows that the number of reports of illegal dumping in Victoria grew by more than 2,000 in just 12 months, rising from 116,293 in 2024 to 118,653 last year – a figure that is over half the 200,000 reports received nationwide.
The illegally dumped rubbish includes e-bikes, asbestos, and construction materials, and costs councils millions of dollars each year in waste-removal and clean-up costs, in addition to 61,000 abandoned trolleys reported to the app, the Herald Sun reported.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data shows that the outskirts of Melbourne places were the areas most heavily impacted by illegal dumping, and saw huge increases in waste, especially over the last six months.
Sophie Tan, Mayor of the highly multicultural outer-urban Melbourne suburb of Dandenong, said the area had 14 hotspots where 900 tonnes of waste had been dumped in 2025, costing ratepayers $1.6 million.
“This figure is rising and this money could have helped provide invaluable resources and infrastructure to the Greater Dandenong community,” she said, adding that she welcomed a new multi-million-dollar program to counter the increase in illegal dumping unveiled last Wednesday.
The state Labor government’s $8.5 million rebate scheme will help fund rubbish removal and clean-ups, and comes with a $13.5 million expansion of Victoria’s illegal dumping enforcement task force.
The Victorian government said the program was a response to the negative impact illegal dumping has on the state’s environment and waterways, as well as on “local council services and community perceptions of safety and community pride”.
The program is not directed at individuals but is aimed at governmental groups and organisations such as local councils and Parks Victoria, as the scheme seeks to support “local government authorities and other land managers for clean-up activities of illegally dumped waste”.
State Environment minister Steve Dimopoulos said at the launch of the program this week that “too often councils and public land managers are left with a costly mess to clean up from the actions of wrong-doers” and the “rebate scheme provides support to help cover these costs and keep our suburbs and towns clean”.
The announcement comes amid a wider increase in crime and anti-social behaviour across the state.
The latest data from Victoria’s Crime Statistics Agency shows an over 10% annual increase in the criminal-incident rate, while graffiti, noise pollution and illegal parking have also been reported as “rapidly growing issues” within the state.
Header image: Left, Ms Tan, Mr Dimopoulos, Dandeong MP Gabrielle Williams and Labor MP Lee Tarlamis announcing the rebate scheme. Right, illegally dumped rubbish in Dandenong (Facebook).
