Pollution
Pollution
Reporting pollution incidents is essential for protecting our environment and community. This form should be used to report incidents involving land, water, noise, or air pollution where the estimated material and/or environmental harm is under $50,000. Timely reporting helps authorities respond quickly, minimise harm, and ensure regulatory requirements are met.
Report to us
We can investigate certain types of pollution that fall within the categories listed below.
Providing specific details about the issue will help us determine whether it's something we can respond to and take appropriate action.
Water pollution
Noise pollution
Air, smoke and odour pollution
Land pollution
Not regulated by City of Newcastle
Other agency referrals
Some pollution sources are investigated by other authorities.
- NSW Maritime - ships in port, naval or any other marine vessels.
- Air Services Australia - any aircraft air pollution concerns.
- NSW Fire Brigade - Major fires (Industrial or bushland).
- Jemena - Gas leaks or related odours.
- Anti social behaviour or loud parties - Police.
- Drones - Civil Aviation Authority.
- Sewage pollution - Hunter Water Corporation.
Matters for the EPA
- Air Pollution from a premises that holds an environment protection licence. You can check whether a premises is licensed through the Public Register - Environment & Heritage.
- Activities carried on by public authorities.
- Smokey motor vehicles.
- Odour from large industry.
- Odour from sewage treatment plant.
- Odour from landfill.
Related articles
- Park Litter and Waste - to report rubbish, litter or overflowing bins in a park.
- Illegal Dumping - to report bulky waste items left in a public place.
- Pollution Incident Notification - if the material/environmental harm is estimated to be over $50,000.
- Asbestos - report asbestos concerns for investigation or learn about safe disposal.
Raise a request
Before you begin
- Providing photos or other evidence can greatly assist our investigation. You can include these as part of your report.
- Details such as the time of day or any patterns in occurrence can help us ensure we investigate at the most relevant times.
Location matters!
Providing specific details about the location of the issue helps us locate and address it quickly. Please include cross streets, house numbers, or identifying landmarks.
Next steps
- You'll receive an acknowledgement with your request number.
- City of Newcastle prioritises requests we receive according to risk to public safety, human health or the environment. This is in accordance with our Compliance and Enforcement Policy. High and medium risk requests are prioritised for investigation over other (lower risk) requests.
- Your report will be triaged and investigated. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, there are a number of potential enforcement options. These may include:
- issuing Clean-Up or Prevention Notices
- imposing on-the-spot fines
- initiating legal proceedings.
- Once your request has been completed, you will receive a notification.
Time frames
- We typically triage pollution reports within 3 days.
- Reponses times may vary depending on the nature of the pollution and it's impacts.
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