Resources / Case Studies
Paraquad
Spectur cameras used to prevent illegal dumping and improve charitable recyclers program
Summary
Two charitable recyclers, Alinea Inc trading as ParaQuad Industries (ParaQuad) and Good Sammys Enterprises (Good Sammys), were awarded a grant from the Department of Water & Environmental Regulation (DWER) under the Charitable Recyclers Dumping Reduction Program (CRDRP) with the objective of trialling interventions that could contribute to the reduction of illegal dumping at selected donation sites and in general.
Illegal dumping data was collected over a three month pre-intervention period at four charity clothing collection bin sites prior to the installation of solar-powered, remotely accessible CCTV cameras followed by further data collection for three month post-intervention period.
Both ParaQuad and Good Sammys recorded significantly less average dumping after the CCTV camera installation. As donation volumes and associated antisocial behaviour is seasonal some of this reduction in dumping may be attributable to this seasonality; it is possible, also, that normal illegal dumping patterns and levels were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the data collected suggested that neither of these effects were in play. Other useful learning emerged from the project including the ability to use the cameras to identify sites with dumping and directing of resources to these.
Ultimately only behavioural change can reduce illegal dumping levels permanently and this includes the behaviour of individuals who dump, the behaviour of the community members who don’t challenge dumpers, and the behaviour of the local authorities not being willing to prosecute individuals identified by CCTV.
Future dumping reduction efforts should thus include actions directed towards behavioural change rather than infrastructure only.
This project was funded by the State Government through the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Account, and administered by the Waste Authority. ParaQuad and Good Sammys are grateful to DWER for providing the grant funding to investigate this intervention and to the Cities of Stirling and Melville for authorising the camera installations on their properties.
Joe Tuson
Manager ParaQuad Industries
18 August 2020
Method
Four Perth metropolitan sites were chosen for the intervention, three within the City of Stirling and the fourth within the City of Melville. The sites were:
| Site Location and Description | Number and type of bins |
|---|---|
| Huntriss Road, Gwelup, in the car park of Lake Gwelup Reserve | 2 x ParaQuad 2 x Good Sammys |
| Light St, Dianella, in the car park of the Dianella Regional Open Space / Stirling Community Centre | 4 x ParaQuad 1 x Good Sammys |
| *Kitchener Road, North Beach, in the car park of Charles Riley Reserve | 3 x ParaQuad 3 x Good Sammys |
| Coogee Road, Ardross, in the car park of Shirley Strickland Reserve | 2 x ParaQuad 2 x Good Sammys 2 x Cystic Fibrosis |
* Originally it was planned to use a site on the South Western Highway in Byford but authorisation from the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale proved too difficult.
The sites were chosen on the basis of known illegal dumping patterns, good donation volumes and ease of gaining approval from the controlling local government for the installation of the CCTV cameras.
Bin service crews from both organisations were asked to log the level of illegal dumping encountered during every service visit to each of these four sites for an initial period of three months (pre intervention period), from February to March 2020 inclusive. For the purposes of this project, dumping was defined as anything that was left outside the bin, and in the absence of the ability to weigh the illegal dumping the following dumping ratings were assigned:
As the sites were typically visited more than once per week, an average dumping level for each week of the three month pre-intervention period was calculated.
Solar-powered CCTV cameras were then installed at each site and the same dumping data collected for the following three month period, May to July 2020 inclusive, following which the change in average weekly dumping was calculated.
Camera Technology
The camera technology chosen was the Spectur 3G/4G 4K Solar Timelapse Camera System, see https://spectur.co.nz/ . These cameras were used in previous projects and proved reliable and easy to access via desktop computer or mobile ‘phone app. Pseudo-WA Police chequered blue and white marking on the poles also alerts potential dumpers to the presence of CCTV.
Results
Illegal dumping data from Good Sammys and ParaQuad is tabulated below:
| Good Sammys dumping data by site / month | February | March | April | May | June | July |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82 Coogee Rd, Ardross, WA 6153 | 1.75 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 1.42 | 1.17 | 0.93 |
| 566 Light St, Dianella, WA 6059 | 1.00 | 1.50 | 1.20 | 0.50 | 0.25 | 0.40 |
| 46 Huntriss Road, Gwelup, WA 6018 | 1.50 | 2.25 | 2.50 | 0.50 | 0.88 | 0.30 |
| 12 Kitchener St, North Beach, WA 6020 | 0.88 | 0.75 | 0.60 | 0.25 | 0.75 | 0.40 |
| ParaQuad dumping data by site / month | February | March | April | May | June | July |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82 Coogee Rd, Ardross, WA 6153 | 1.13 | 1.04 | 0.87 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.40 |
| 566 Light St, Dianella, WA 6059 | 1.38 | 1.63 | 1.07 | 0.50 | 0.38 | 0.62 |
| 46 Huntriss Road, Gwelup, WA 6018 | 2.48 | 2.92 | 1.90 | 1.70 | 0.93 | 0.95 |
| 12 Kitchener St, North Beach, WA 6020 | 1.88 | 1.88 | 0.53 | 0.47 | 0.52 | 0.80 |
| Combined dumping data by site / month | February | March | April | May | June | July |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82 Coogee Rd, Ardross, WA 6153 | 2.88 | 3.04 | 2.87 | 1.92 | 1.67 | 1.33 |
| 566 Light St, Dianella, WA 6059 | 2.38 | 3.13 | 2.27 | 1.00 | 0.63 | 1.02 |
| 46 Huntriss Road, Gwelup, WA 6018 | 3.98 | 5.17 | 4.40 | 2.20 | 1.80 | 1.25 |
| 12 Kitchener St, North Beach, WA 6020 | 2.75 | 2.63 | 1.13 | 0.72 | 1.27 | 1.20 |
Cameras were installed at the end of April. Both ParaQuad and Good Sammys recorded a reduction in illegal dumping and this is made evident when the tabulated date above is graphed.
The Combined data from both organisations showed:
• Dumping levels at the Ardross site reduced from “significant” (two to three wheelbarrows’ worth) to “small” (one to two bags) from February-March to June-July;
• Over the same time period, the Dianella site, too, showed a reduction in dumping level from “significant” to “small”;
• The most significant reduction in illegal dumping was seen at the Gwelup site where dumping levels reduced from “very significant” (one trailer load or more) in February-March to “small” in June-July;
• Similar to the Ardross and Dianella sites, the North Beach site experienced a reduction in dumping from “significant” to “small” from February-March to June-July.
Analysis
Donations through charity clothing collection bins have a number of general characteristics:
First, donation levels are seasonal, with the busy period being from November to February where donation levels can almost double from the slow period which is June to July. Unusually for this year, both organisations recorded an atypical donation monthly trend as captured for ParaQuad in the graph below. The dip in April and the recovery in May to July are both ascribed to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the former corresponding with the strictest rules for staying at home and the latter being explained by a surge in spring cleaning caused by people either working from home or staying at home on Government support packages.
Second, illegal dumping levels track donation levels, with higher donation months also having higher dumping. Once again the period from February to July revealed an unusual relationship between illegal dumping levels with the illegal dumping as measured at these four sites not following the same trend as the donation levels. It is therefore not unreasonable to ascribe the reduction in dumping described in the Results section during the period May – July to the installation of the CCTV cameras at these sites and the deterrent effect of this.
Third, illegal dumping has a tendency to “breed” in that dumpers seem to add more items outside a bin if they observe that others have already done this. One of the relatively unexpected benefits of being able to quickly and easily access the camera images from computer or mobile phone is the ability
to target scarce resources to the areas requiring attention. In this case, first thing in the morning it was possible to ascertain if any sites with CCTV had been the target of overnight illegal dumping and
prioritise the service of these sites, often before they had been reported to the Rangers and before the dumping could attract the attention of other dumpers or scavengers who spread the dumping further afield.
Fourth, illegal dumping is mainly either malicious or misguided. Malicious dumpers know that what they are doing is antisocial and illegal but don’t care, they just want to avoid the tip fees. Misguided dumpers think it is acceptable to leave items outside the charity bins or think that “some poor person will be able to use this broken table”. The end result from both sources is the same, ie. goods left outside the bins creating an unsightly mess especially after they have been rummaged through and scattered, exposed to the elements, or both. The presence of the CCTV cameras with the blue and white chequered marking and signage can conceivably act as a deterrent to malicious dumpers and food for thought for misguided dumpers.
Reaction
Reaction to the installation of the cameras was largely positive, and example of this shown below from the City of Stirling.
From: John Todd
Sent: Thursday, 16 July 2020 1:15 PM
To: Keith Rickman
Subject: Charity Bins
Good afternoon Keith
I am very pleased with the installation of the CCTV cameras looking at the charity bins at Huntriss road, Gwelup and Charles Riley Reserve, North Beach.
I personally drive passed the Huntriss road bin everyday (as I live around the corner) and have been pleased that the CCTV pole installation has been such a success. The neat installation of the poles and the fact that people seemed to have stopped dumping around the bins has been a win win situation for both the bin provider and the City.
Keep up the good work.
John Todd
Security Systems Officer
Community Safety
City of Stirling
The City of Stirling acknowledges the traditional custodians of this land, the Wadjak people of the Nyoongar nation, and pays respect to the Elders past, present and future for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal Australia.
25 Cedric Street, Stirling, 6021, WA
Phone (08) 9205 8943 | Mobile 0417 414 966 | Fax (08) 9205 8822
Email [email protected]
At this same site, on the day after the camera was installed, there was an incident whereby a male dumper spent about 15 minutes from 10:21 to 10:33 in the middle of the morning unloading his full trailer in broad daylight (see photographs below). Unfortunately this dumper parked his vehicle side so his registration plate was not visible. Interestingly, while he was at work, multiple local residents walked past him in the pursuit of normal community leisure activities such as pushing prams and walking dogs and no one challenged him about his illegal dumping.
This incident highlights an important aspect of the battle against illegal dumping, that of community complacency and, more broadly, behavioural change. To borrow a quotation from former Chief of the Australian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General David Morrison, “the standard you walk past is the standard you accept”. The same residents who would challenge someone walking a dog who did not stop to clear up their dog’s mess seem content to accept someone dumping a trailer load of unwanted and largely unsaleable used items in the car park of a public reserve. Just like taking one’s own shopping bags to the supermarket or clearing up one’s dog’s mess, not dumping and not walking past someone who is dumping needs to become part of normally accepted behaviour. There may be some scope for the use of “naming and shaming” techniques on social media to deter potential dumpers but this has not been tested.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The presence of CCTV cameras and associated features such as signage, paintwork and motion
triggered floodlights have been shown to have a positive effect on the reduction of illegal dumping around charity clothing collection bins based on a limited trial of 6 months.
The extent of the COVID-19 pandemic’s influence on the effectiveness of the CCTV is not known.
In addition to being a deterrent to dumping, the cameras can be used to direct scarce resources and as source material to embarrass dumpers into doing the right thing.
Ultimately behavioural change is required from dumpers to do the right thing, the community to not walk past illegal dumping, and authorities to be prepared to prosecute offenders and publicise CCTV footage of their activities.
Joe Tuson
Manager ParaQuad Industries
18 August 2020
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