Grants and funding
Current rounds
Zero Litter to the Bay Program
The Zero Litter to the Bay Program provides funding to eligible South East Queensland councils located adjacent to or upstream of the Moreton Bay catchment area. The aim is to instal at least 100 filtration devices on major stormwater drains to prevent plastics and litter larger than 5mm from entering Moreton Bay. This $35 million initiative will enhance the stormwater system’s capacity to capture plastic waste and litter. The program prioritises installing new filtration devices and upgrading existing ones to minimise litter entering the bay. Additionally, funding will be provided for maintaining the new or upgraded devices.
Two streams of funding are available:
- Stream 1: Up to $9.5 million for councils directly adjacent to Moreton Bay
- Stream 2: Up to $2 million for councils upstream of Moreton Bay.
Applications open Tuesday 6 January 2026 and close 4pm Tuesday 31 March 2026.
All applications must be submitted through the department’s online SmartyGrants portal.
View further information on the Zero Litter to the Bay program guidelines 620 KB) .
Closed rounds
Fighting Illegal Dumping Partnership Program – (applications closed 25 February 2026 - currently under assessment)
FIDPP builds local government capacity to undertake illegal dumping compliance investigations through the employment of dedicated Illegal Dumping Compliance Officers, the purchase of plant and equipment and the installation of signage.
This program will provide funding under two grant streams:
- Round 1A 1.1 MB) - Existing LGIDP program participants: transition into FIDPP with continued funding for the one dedicated Illegal Dumping Compliance Officer at $90,000 per annum for three years and option to apply for up to $25,000 in additional funding to facilitate night-time patrols in hot spot areas; and
- Round 1B 1003.9 KB) - New participants: funding for the employment of a dedicated Illegal Dumping Compliance Officer/s (maximum 2 x FTE’s) and on-ground resources including surveillance cameras, signage and compliance related equipment with support capped at $200,000 for the first year and $90,000 per annum for the following two years.
More information can be found in the Fighting Illegal Dumping Partnerships Program Guidelines: Round 1A 1.1 MB) and Round 1B 1003.9 KB) .
Let’s Get it Sorted (LGIS) Partnership Program – Behaviour Change Intervention
The LGIS Partnership Program (Behaviour Change Intervention) provided two funding programs to support councils and groups of councils to drive a shift in community attitudes and behaviours towards household waste management and recycling and reduce litter and illegal dumping incidents.
Queensland councils play a vital role in providing reliable waste management services to households and businesses across the state. These services are an important avenue for change ensuring recycling is maximised and as much waste as possible is diverted away from landfill and from the natural environment.
LGIS Partnership Program – Behaviour Change Intervention provided individual councils with a framework, tools and funding to implement targeted behaviour change interventions for:
- Steam 1 - household waste and recycling services
- Stream 2 - public place littering and illegal dumping.
View further information on the Let’s Get it Sorted (LGIS) Partnership Program.
Keeping Queensland Clean: Illegal Dumping Grant Program
The Keeping Queensland Clean: Illegal Dumping Grant Program provided up to $500,000 (excluding GST) in grants to eligible recipients for projects which seek to reduce illegally dumped material and ensure its appropriate disposal or recovery.
Grants of up to $50,000 (excluding GST) is provided for activities to remove hazardous illegally dumped waste and/or, illegally dumped waste that is difficult to access or requires specialist equipment to remove due to the location or size of the material.
Eligible entities that applied for a grant included Queensland Primary Producers, Queensland Regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) bodies, Nature Refuge holders, and Special Wildlife Reserve managers.
More information about the Illegal Dumping Grant can be found in the Keeping Queensland Clean: Illegal Dumping Grant Program – Guidelines for applicants 416.7 KB) .
Grant applications closed on 7 March 2022 and saw 11 successful applicants receiving a total of $269,156.80 GST inclusive.
| Recipient name | Project activity | Amount (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|
| Jude Hicks | Funding for the removal of illegally dumped materials from Keilambete Station. | $6,700 |
| Phillip Marano | Funding for the removal of materials illegally dumped on a Home Hill property located on the banks of Burdekin River. | $43,040 |
| Dan Carew | Funding for the removal of approximately 270 end of life truck and tractor tyres that were washed onto a Memerambi property during a flood event. | $23,194 |
| Cilla Pershouse | Funding for the removal of illegally dumped materials from a cattle property in Ban Ban Springs as well as exclusion fencing to prevent future access to the location. | $31,500 |
| Alfred Burow | Funding for the removal of approximately 1,300 end-of-life tyres that were illegally dumped on the access road to a sugarcane farm. | $7,000 |
| Robert Silvini | Funding for the removal of various types of material illegally dumped in a salt pan on a property in Breameadows. | $31,689 |
| Southern Gulf NRM | Funding for a collaborative project between the department and Southern Gulf NRM for the removal of approximately 48 illegally dumped car bodies along roads in the Mount Isa Regional Council area. | $13,380 |
| HQ Plantations Pty Ltd | Funding for a collaborative project between the department and HQ Plantations for the clean-up of illegally dumped materials at several locations in Beerburrum Plantation Forest, Tuan Toolara Plantation Forest, Wongi Plantation Forest, Burnett and Downs Plantation Forest, Mary Valley and Kuranda Plantation Forest. | $38,646 |
| John Mudge | Funding for the removal of several car bodies, machinery and tyres that were illegally dumped on Mount Ruby Station in the early 1980's. | $44,400 |
| Patricia Billic | Funding for the disposal of illegally dumped end-of-life tyres from a property in Silkwood. | $139 |
| Tony Bartolo | Funding for a collaborative project between 4 sugarcane farmers for the removal of illegally dumped materials on their properties. | $5,000 |
Local Government Illegal Dumping Partnerships Program – Round 2B
Successful applicants under Round 2B of the Local Government Illegal Dumping Partnerships Program include projects totalling $2.3 million across 21 participating councils.
The funding allowed councils to employ 17 dedicated illegal dumping compliance officers for 12 months, and purchase compliance related equipment. Activities will focus on the investigation and prevention of illegally dumped waste.
In 2024 additional funding of $990,000 was provided to 11 of those councils to continue the employment of dedicated illegal dumping officers for a further 12 months.
In 2025 additional funding of $900,000 was provided to nine of those councils to continue the employment of dedicated illegal dumping officers for a further 12 months.
In 2026 additional funding of $90,000 was provided to four of those councils to continue the employment of dedicated illegal dumping officers until 30 June 2026.
More information can be found in the Local Government Illegal Dumping Partnerships Program Guidelines: Grants Round 2B 876.1 KB) .
| Applicant name | Approved funding (ex GST) |
|---|---|
| Aurukun Shire Council | $200,000 |
| Banana Shire Council | $340,801 |
| Burke Shire Council | $245,000 |
| Flinders Shire Council - withdrawn | $10,000 |
| Goondiwindi Regional Council - withdrawn | $8,170 |
| Gympie Regional Shire Council | $309,920 |
| Isaac Regional Council | $306,863 |
| Livingstone Shire Council | $376,664 |
| Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council | $67,040 |
| Maranoa Regional Council | $12,490 |
| Mornington Shire Council | $130,500 |
| Napranum Aboriginal Shire Council | $121,939 |
| Noosa Shire Council | $296,518 |
| Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council | $213,000 |
| Paroo Shire Council | $225,145 |
| Redland City Council | $367,239 |
| Somerset Regional Council | $6,150 |
| Southern Downs Regional Council | $327,186 |
| Torres Strait Island Regional Council | $290,000 |
| Whitsunday Regional Council | $289,608 |
| Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council | $97,500 |
Local Government Illegal Dumping Partnerships Program – Round 2A
Successful applicants under Round 2A of the Local Government Illegal Dumping Partnerships Program include projects totalling $2.9 million across 27 participating local governments.
The funding allowed councils to employ 31 dedicated illegal dumping compliance officers for 12 months.
In 2023, additional funding of $2.2 million was provided to 25 of those Councils to continue the employment of a dedicated illegal dumping officers for a further 12 months.
In 2024, additional funding of $2.1 million was provided to 24 of those Councils to continue the employment of a dedicated illegal dumping officers for a further 12 months.
In 2025, additional funding of $1.9 million was provided to 22 of those Councils to continue the employment of a dedicated illegal dumping officers for a further 12 months.
In 2026 additional funding of $210,000 was provided to 12 of those councils to continue the employment of dedicated illegal dumping officers until 30 June 2026.
| Applicant name | Approved funding (ex GST) |
|---|---|
| Balonne Shire Council | $375,000 |
| Brisbane City Council | $450,000 |
| Bundaberg Regional Council | $460,500 |
| Burdekin Shire Council | $313,862 |
| Cairns Regional Council | $258,000 |
| Carpentaria Shire Council | $320,000 |
| Cassowary Coast Regional Council | $402,896 |
| Charters Towers Regional Council - withdrawn | $56,211 |
| Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council | $360,000 |
| Douglas Shire Council | $388,852 |
| Fraser Coast Regional Council | $375,000 |
| Gladstone Regional Council | $390,840 |
| Gold Coast City Council | $450,000 |
| Hinchinbrook Shire Council | $382,500 |
| Ipswich City Council | $456,650 |
| Lockyer Valley Regional Council | $387,222 |
| Logan City Council | $467,304 |
| Mackay Regional Council | $386,577 |
| Mareeba Shire Council | $383,669 |
| Moreton Bay Regional Council | $361,000 |
| North Burnett Regional Council | $210,000 |
| Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council | $90,000 |
| Rockhampton Regional Council | $394,449 |
| South Burnett Regional Council | $354,085 |
| Sunshine Coast Regional Council | $411,000 |
| Townsville City Council | $360,000 |
| Western Downs Regional Council | $266,000 |
Local Government Illegal Dumping Partnerships Program – Round 1
Round 1 of the Local Government Illegal Dumping Partnerships Program (Program) provided $3.6 million in funding to councils over 12 months to monitor, act on and prevent illegal dumping activities.
The Program was based on a 6-month pilot partnership with four councils. These councils were chosen based on several criteria including the number of illegal dumping incidents reported over a two year period, environmental damage and proximity to built-up areas.
The four participating pilot councils were:
- Fraser Coast Regional Council
- Bundaberg Regional Council
- Townsville City Council
- City of Gold Coast.
The Program funded additional on-ground officers to investigate and prevent illegally dumped waste entering Queensland’s environment. Funding was limited to a maximum of $200,000 per council.
Successful applicants under Round 1 were announced in 2020 and included 20 projects totalling $3.6 million across 27 participating local governments.
The funding supported councils to employ 31 dedicated illegal dumping compliance officers for 12 months and included four joint local government projects, to maximise the delivery of the illegal dumping compliance projects in regional Queensland.
| Collaborating councils | Approved funding (ex GST) |
|---|---|
| Townsville City Council Burdekin Shire Council Charters Towers Regional Council, Hinchinbrook Shire Council Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council | $630,000 |
| South Burnett Regional Council North Burnett Regional Council Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council | $158,500 |
| Mareeba Shire Council Cassowary Coast Regional Council Carpentaria Shire Council | $369,550 |
| Individual councils | Approved funding (ex GST) |
|---|---|
| Balonne Shire Council | $129,460 |
| Brisbane City Council | $199,947 |
| Bundaberg Regional Council | $185,701 |
| Cairns Regional Council | $200,000 |
| Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council | $78,000 |
| City of Gold Coast Council | $185,000 |
| Douglas Shire Council | $84,042 |
| Fraser Coast Regional Council | $99,000 |
| Gladstone Regional Council | $114,722 |
| Ipswich City Council | $200,000 |
| Lockyer Valley Regional Council | $91,080 |
| Logan City Council | $175,627 |
| Mackay Regional Council | $134,710 |
| Moreton Bay Regional Council | $90,000 |
| Rockhampton Regional Council | $164,894 |
| Sunshine Coast Regional Council | $180,297 |
| Western Downs Regional Council | $131,080 |
Local Government Illegal Dumping Hotspot Grants Program
The Local Government Illegal Dumping Hotspot Grants Program provided $1.35 million in funding to councils to support projects that aim to prevent or reduce illegal dumping in hotspot areas.
These projects included prevention activities, behaviour change programs, infrastructure development, education projects, and surveillance projects. The program also funded the collection of comprehensive data for the identification of illegal dumping hotspot locations to support future prevention or intervention activities and strategy development.
More information regarding the Hotspot Grants can be found in the Local Government Illegal Dumping Hotspot Grants – Guidelines for applicants 1.5 MB) .
| Council | Project summary | Funding amount (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|
| Balonne Shire Council | Identify illegal dumping hotspots, increase awareness within the community and local businesses, conduct clean-up activities, and target correct disposal of tyres. | $57,500 |
| Brisbane City Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots through increasing covert and overt surveillance and installing additional signage at hotspot locations. | $59,526 |
| Bundaberg Regional Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by installing interventions such as signs and physical barriers. Conducting advertising campaigns, clean-up activities, surveillance and compliance at these sites. | $42,593 |
| Burdekin Shire Council | Target riparian and beach illegal dumping hotspots by removing existing waste, installing signage, conducting surveillance and a public awareness campaign. | $59,094 |
| Carpentaria Shire Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by conducting community engagement and awareness raising, installing signage and conducting increased surveillance and compliance activities. | $60,000 |
| Cassowary Coast Regional Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by conducting community awareness raising, installing signage and increased surveillance and compliance activities. | $20,500 |
| Central Highlands Regional Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by increasing engagement and awareness raising, installing signage and conducting increased surveillance and compliance activities. Introducing learning activities for local schools to increase awareness of correct disposal of waste. | $60,000 |
| Charters Towers Regional Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots through an advertising campaign, clean-up activities, installing fencing and signage and conducting surveillance and compliance activities. | $20,000 |
| Cook Shire Council | Gather baseline data on the location, waste types and scale of illegal dumping in the region to identify hotspots. | $20,000 |
| Douglas Shire Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots for clean-up activities and the development of educational videos to raise awareness of illegal dumping impacts and reporting. | $22,053 |
| Gladstone Regional Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by conducting community engagement and awareness raising, installing signage and conducting increased surveillance and compliance activities. Introduce learning activities for local schools to increase awareness of correct disposal of waste. | $34,323 |
| City of Gold Coast | Target kerbside illegal dumping hotspots outside multi-unit dwellings by trialling several intervention methods to increase reporting and awareness of alternative disposal options. | $57,692 |
| Hinchinbrook Shire Council | Gather baseline data on the location, waste types and scale of illegal dumping in the region to identify hotspots and conduct clean-up activities. | $18,498 |
| Livingstone Shire Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by conducting community engagement and awareness raising, installing signage, physical barriers and conducting increased surveillance and compliance activities. | $43,972 |
| Lockyer Valley Regional Council | Conduct a large-scale multi-media advertising campaign to encourage community reporting, responsible disposal and illegal dumping penalties. Install signage and increase surveillance to reduce illegal dumping. | $60,000 |
| Logan City Council | Target kerbside illegal dumping by developing an illegal dumping strategy, resident toolkit, installing signage and raising awareness of reporting illegal dumping. Focus particularly on tenanted or multi-unit dwellings and engagement with both Real Estate Agents and Body Corporates. | $59,798 |
| Mackay Regional Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by installing interventions such as signs and physical barriers. Conducting advertising campaigns, surveillance, and compliance at these sites. | $33,000 |
| Maranoa Regional Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by conducting community engagement and awareness raising, installing signage and conducting increased surveillance and compliance activities. | $14,001 |
| Mareeba Shire Council | Reduce and prevent illegal dumping hotspots by conducting community engagement and awareness raising by installing signage and delivering an advertising campaign. | $9,000 |
| Moreton Bay Regional Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by conducting community engagement and awareness raising, installing signage and conducting increased surveillance and compliance activities. Particularly targeting and identifying illegal dumping of asbestos with enhanced rapid analysis capability. | $55,438 |
| Mount Isa City Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots through a targeted advertising campaign, clean-up activities, installing signage and conducting increased surveillance and compliance activities. | $60,000 |
| Noosa Shire Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots through installation of signage and conducting increased surveillance and compliance activities. | $50,149 |
| North Burnett Regional Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by collecting and mapping baseline data. Installing signage to support community engagement and awareness raising and conducting increased surveillance and compliance activities. | $10,985 |
| Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council | Targeting illegal dumping hotspots for clean-up activities, installation of signage and the development of educational videos to raise awareness of the impacts of illegal dumping and reporting. | $51,290 |
| Paroo Shire Council | Targeting tyre dumps and other illegal dumping hotspots for clean-up activities, installation of signage and increased surveillance and compliance activities. Engage the community through the development of educational material to raise awareness of illegal dumping impacts and reporting. | $45,600 |
| Rockhampton Regional Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by conducting community engagement and awareness raising, installing signage and conducting increased surveillance and compliance activities. | $54,024 |
| South Burnett Regional Council | Gather data on illegal dumping to establish a baseline data set to support the development of litter and illegal dumping intervention strategies and actions. | $14,300 |
| Toowoomba Regional Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots through increased surveillance and compliance activities. Conduct a targeted advertising campaign, community engagement, clean-up activities and install signage. | $60,000 |
| Torres Shire Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by conducting community engagement and awareness raising, installing signage and conducting increased surveillance, compliance activities and clean-up. | $59,800 |
| Torres Strait Island Regional Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by conducting community engagement and awareness raising, installing signage, and conducting increased surveillance and compliance activities. | $42,689 |
| Townsville City Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by increasing engagement and awareness raising, installing signage, and conducting increased surveillance and compliance activities. Conduct targeted community surveys to support marketing and education program. | $31,392 |
| Whitsunday Regional Council | Target illegal dumping hotspots by conducting community engagement and awareness raising, installing signage, and conducting increased surveillance and compliance activities. | $60,000 |
