First published 30 Oct 2026, 2:36pm
A brazen illegal dumper has been caught on camera allegedly offloading a truckload of rubbish on a vacant block in broad daylight before trying to cover their tracks.
The incident unfolded about 8am on Wednesday on Burns Rd at Picnic Point, in Sydney’s southwest, where a white truck was filmed pulling up beside vacant land and unloading a large pile of waste.
In footage shared by Canterbury-Bankstown Council , the driver is then seen reversing over the dumped rubbish to push it further onto the site before getting out of the vehicle and tossing on more waste by hand.
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A truck driver was caught dumping waste in southwest Sydney. Credit: City of Canterbury Bankstown
Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Bilal El-Hayek said he was “absolutely appalled” by the vision, which was sent to council just hours after it launched a fresh campaign targeting illegal dumping.
“Just hours after we launched our illegal dumping campaign, we were sent this video filmed by a concerned local and I am absolutely appalled,” he wrote on Facebook.
“You can see this person brazenly blocking traffic to dump their waste on vacant land along Burns Rd, Picnic Point.
“They then reverse on top of the waste before getting out to unload even more waste by hand.
“They even deliberately tampered with their number plate in an attempt to get away with it.”
Mr El-Hayek described the alleged act as “blatant and deliberate illegal dumping” and urged anyone with information to come forward.
“If you were in the area, saw anything suspicious or have dashcam or CCTV footage, no matter how minor it may seem, please come forward,” he said.
The vehicle was caught dumping a truckload of waste onto the vacant land. Credit: City of Canterbury Bankstown
He said offenders should know “it never pays to dump illegally”, pointing to an earlier case in which council caught a person dumping large amounts of mulch on Biloela St at Villawood and issued a $15,000 fine.
“Illegal dumping harms our environment and makes our city unsafe for everyone who lives here,” he said.
Under NSW law, individuals can face on-the-spot fines of up to $15,000 for larger-scale illegal dumping offences, while corporations can be fined up to $30,000.
Maximum court penalties can reach $500,000 for individuals and $2 million for corporations.
The footage sparked swift outrage online, with commenters blasting the alleged dumper’s behaviour.
The driver was even seen getting out of the car. Credit: City of Canterbury Bankstown
One person wrote: “He probably charged the customer for disposal of waste too.”
Another said: “I’d say someone didn’t pay him and he dumped all the trash back on their building site.”
A third added: “Our country has become a rubbish tip.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Canterbury-Bankstown Council on 9707 9000 or submit a report through its website.
The Sydney incident comes as illegal dumping is also causing major headaches for property owners in Victoria, where some landlords say seemingly ordinary lease agreements have turned into environmental and financial disasters.
On Melbourne’s fringe, several owners allege their properties were rented under false pretences before being used as large-scale dump sites for industrial waste, including asbestos.
One of them, Brisbane-based owner Jacob Cheu, said his family’s property at Sunbury, about 38km from Melbourne, was leased four months ago to a man who claimed he wanted the land for horses.
Speaking to A Current Affair, Mr Cheu said the prospective tenant appeared legitimate and even brought his child along when inspecting the site.
“They say they wanted to rent the property for their horses, they brought their child along, so everything looked very above board,” he said.
“There’s nothing suspicious at that point.”
Property owner Jacob Cheu found mountains of industrial waste and a clean-up bill he fears could reach $2 million. Source: A Current Affair
But instead of a routine tenancy issue, Mr Cheu said the site was later found covered with industrial waste, including asbestos, in what appears to be part of a growing “rent-to-dump” problem in Melbourne’s outer suburbs.
He fears the clean-up bill could be as high as $2 million.
“They (EPA) say there’s 5500 tonnes of rubbish,” he said.
“How do you even get that much rubbish in a short span of time?”
In nearby Diggers Rest, retiree Suji An says she was caught in a similar alleged scheme after leasing out her hobby farm in June, leaving her facing an estimated clean-up cost of between $600,000 and $2 million.
Victoria’s EPA says it is increasing inspections, surveillance and enforcement in response.
In a statement, the regulator said it was using “all appropriate powers” to detect, disrupt and prosecute illegal waste dumping.
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