It is reported that there were 416 cases of illegal dumping in Willoughby City last year but only 7 prosecutions. Unfortunately, no information was provided in the report as to how this compares to other Council areas within Sydney.
It is possible that the incidences of illegal dumping may have increased since Council introduced its ‘One free pickup a year‘ service. Unlike the three scheduled rubbish pickup services a year where whole areas are covered the new service is on a house by house basis. Some residents may think it is OK to place rubbish on their verge and that the Council will just come along and pick it up. Perhaps Council needs to do more education on this issue.
The reasons for the low number of fines issued is the problem Council rangers have in determining the culprit. Either the Ranger needs to see the act occurring or have irrefutable evidence as to the source of the rubbish. Much of the rubbish being illegally dumped is household furniture, which unlike a letter, does not have a name and address on it. Alternatively, if there is CCTV footage of the culprit Council may be able to get a conviction.
Should you ‘Dob in a dumper‘. If you do, you need to be prepared to go to court. What about taking a video of the act in progress on your phone, You need to be careful that the culprit does not see and approach you. The common sense approach is to report the incident to Council by email@willoughby.nsw.gov.au
Chatswood West Ward History 
Yes,I agree there should be a lot more education on how residents dispose of waste in general and recycling. When residents request a free pick up it would be great if a Council officer (bilingual) could come out and talk to the resident about how to dispose of items through other services where possible such as mattresses going to Soft Landing. There are many charity organisations such as The Generous and the Grateful who will pick up useful items. I