Reporting pollution

Smoke, odours, leaks and other pollution incidents into our air, waterways or land can harm the environment and people's health. Help us prevent or limit harmful pollution by reporting incidents straight away. 

Before you report

Step 1.Is it life threatening? 

If you see a major pollution incident that is an immediate threat to human health or property, such as toxic fumes or a large chemical spill, call 000 to report it immediately.

Step 2.Do you need to report it to us?

In some instances, you need to report the pollution incident directly to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the NSW Ministry of Health or SafeWork NSW. 

Check the tab above to see what pollution incidents you can report to us. For all other pollution not listed on this page, refer to the Environment Protection Authority website. 

Step 3.Have you got the details ready?

We want to know what happened, where it happened, when it happened, who did it and we love photos as evidence too. 

Step 4.Report the issue

For major water pollution issues, call us on 6581 8111 immediately.    

What you can report

Air pollution

You can report the following air pollution incidents to us: 

  • Excessive smoke from residential wood heaters and backyard burning
  • Smoke from commercial businesses
  • Odours from a small business or restaurant/food outlet
  • Fumes from spray painting

Water pollution

You can report the following water pollution incidents to us: 

  • Debris, sediments, run-off from building sites or private industry and sewage spills affecting our beaches, estuaries, rivers, creeks, streams and lakes
  • Pollution in stormwater drains

Please note: fish kills and algal blooms are reported to the EPA.

Land pollution

You can report the following land pollution incidents to us: 

  • Long term contamination
  • Asbestos
  • Tyres  
  • Spills from local businesses 
  • Dumped cars or abandoned vehicles - use our report abandoned vehicles form
  • Illegal dumping of waste - use our report illegal dumping form
  • Litter from vehicles - report to the EPA

To understand more about reporting pollution, visit the Environment Protection Authority's website.