Bring bins in on the same day they are emptied. Bins must be stored on your property between collections, not on the footpath or street. Bins left out on the street or footpath can create safety hazards for pedestrians and drivers. They are also more likely to be damaged, stolen or lost.

Unwanted household items too big or bulky for the weekly waste collection left out in a public place eg on the kerb or near a street or park bin may be considered as illegal dumping. Not only is it unsightly, potentially harmful to the community and the environment, it’s also expensive to remove.

If you have unwanted household items, consider donating them to charity or to an appropriate recycler. Otherwise, book a kerbside collection with Council available to all residential properties of the Camden LGA, including rentals.

Litter collection is one way Council keeps our neighbourhoods clean and safe, but litter can be prevented in the first place. You can:

• put your rubbish in a bin
• take your rubbish with you if no bin is available
• keep a bag in your car to collect rubbish
• put your cigarette butt in a butt bin, or an ordinary litter bin when extinguished
• keep a container in your car to collect cigarette butts
• buy less packaging and use reusable containers

You can also report littering from a vehicle to the NSW EPA.

Report an overflowing park or street bin to Council or contact Council on 13 CAMDEN (13 226336)

Abandoned shopping trolleys can obstruct roads or footpaths or end up in our waterways. You can report the number and location of abandoned shopping trolleys using the contact numbers below:

Reported trolleys will be collected by the appropriate collection team on their next scheduled street run.

Alternatively, if the trolley belongs to a nearby store, you can contact them directly.

Wherever chewing gum is dropped on the ground, it sticks. It doesn't easily break down over time and is very difficult and expensive to remove. As gum builds up it makes our footpaths and streets look unsightly.

Keep our footpaths and streets free of chewing gum – dispose of your gum into street or park bins provided.

Cigarette butts might be small but are considered the most littered item ie 1 butt in every 5 littered items. They can be dangerous, particularly in bushfire season. When a butt is dropped onto soil or in water, it quickly starts to leach out chemicals harmful to aquatic life. They can also be mistaken for food by fish, birds and turtles.

Keep our parks, streets and waterways clean and bin your butt, or carry a pocket ashtray with you.

Sharps, such as needles, syringes and lancets can be used by community members outside a clinical setting to help manage a range of medical conditions including allergies, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, infertility and blood disorders.  Used needles and other sharps need to be treated as clinical waste and disposed of safely to prevent injuries or spread infections.

To safely dispose of your sharps, place in a sharps container or a puncture-resistant plastic container with a screw top, sharp-end down, and take to your local chemist participating in Council’s FREE sharps disposal service. Residents can collect a personal sharps collection container from Council’s Customer Relations.

If you see a syringe in a public area, please contact Council so that it can be safely removed.

Council has a number of sharps bins installed in community centres, libraries, parks and public toilets for the safe and convenient disposal of sharps.

Visit safesharps.org.au ie the ‘safe sharps’ map to find a safe disposal location.

Dog poo left on the nature strip or in the park stinks, is unsightly and awful to step in! Dog poo may contain harmful bacteria which can wash into our stormwater drains and local waterways.

Dog owners are required by law to clean up after their dog. Forgetting to bring dog tidy bags is no excuse! Council provides FREE dog tidy bags at local parks and leash free areas. Dog tidy bags are also available for FREE at Council’s Customer Relations.

Advertising material or ‘junk mail’ can contribute about 1000 items of unwanted material in your letterbox each year.

A 'No Junk Mail' sticker on your letterbox can help reduce the amount of paper (and also water and energy) used to print catalogues. You’ll also be helping to reduce unsightly litter.  

These stickers are available free of charge from the Distribution Standards Board. Call 1800 676 136 for more information.

You can also register on the Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA’s) Do Not Mail service which will limit the amount of unsolicited (but addressed) advertising mail you receive.  

Putting up advertising and posters on street poles or traffic signs can make our neighbourhoods look unsightly. It’s also illegal.

For promoting your garage sale:

Consider online marketplaces such as gumtree, Facebook marketplace, freecycle, trading post.