A satellite sensor launched from a space centre in French Guyana is being used by the NSW Environment Protection Authority to track illegal dumping of ACT construction waste across the border.
The Spot 5, launched a decade ago, is a three-tonne computer mapping device that takes a high-resolution photo every 90 seconds during its high-speed orbit of the Earth.
”The detail is incredible. You can zoom right in with these images to the point where, if you can’t quite read the number plates, you can at least identify the make of car,” the head of the NSW EPA’s south-east region operations, Julian Thompson, said.
The EPA is using the satellite images, in conjunction with a 20-year data library of aerial photos taken by Yass Valley Council, to track the spread and frequency of cross-border illegal dumping. Each satellite image covers a vast 60 square kilometre area, and a comparison with the aerial photos can ”identify creep”, or expansion of suspected illegal dumping sites.
The NSW EPA is currently investigating 23 sites as a result of tip-offs from local farmers and rural residents, who have seen trucks dumping waste on local properties. Mr Thompson estimates for each Canberra resident, around one tonne of construction waste - soil, concrete and building rubble - is dumped across the border each year.
”So it’s a significant problem. That’s around 350,000 tonnes of construction waste a year.”
According to figures on the ACT government’s website, waste disposal to landfill from construction and demolition increased by 32 per cent in 2010-11. In NSW, a levy of $80 a tonne for construction waste has been introduced to encourage companies to use recycling facilities, which charge cheaper disposal rates.
Mr Thompson said waste disposal to landfill in the ACT could add ”significant costs” to building projects and home renovations. Disposal of toxic material such as asbestos is also costly, and ”it can become very tempting to take short-cuts to avoid those extra costs”. He said there was also pressure on contractors to meet building project recycling targets by appearing to minimise building waste.
”It’s perfectly legal to buy and use clean fill from construction sites, if you have a development approval.”
Last month, Yass Valley Council installed signs on several rural backroads, urging locals to dob in illegal dumpers. Fines for illegal dumping of building materials can range from $1500 if a single truck doesn’t have the required approval to dispose of its load to $5500 if the load contains toxic materials such as asbestos. The EPA can also issue clean-up notices for illegal dumping sites. If you are concerned about possible illegal waste dumping in your neighbourhood in rural NSW, phone the NSW EPA 24-hour line on 13 15 55.
