Strategies to combat illegal dumping will be implemented by the council thanks to a $68,000 grant from the NSW Government.

The funding will be used to fence off two dumping hot spots, install surveillance cameras and implement signage informing people of the penalties for illegal dumping and how to report it. Signage will be displayed at known dumping sites and on garbage trucks and buses.

But no money will go towards kerbside collection, after the council conducted an investigation into the option of on-call pickup and green waste bins and found it was not feasible.

Maitland City Council’s development and environment manager David Simm said kerbside pickup was too expensive, costing each property in the local government area an extra $70 per annum, even if they didn’t use the service.

Mr Simm also said there was no evidence to suggest that kerbside collection reduced illegal dumping.

He said illegal dumpers and those who would use kerbside pickup were “two separate people.”

Maitland mayor Peter Blackmore told The Mercury in 2014 that kerbside pickup was “what the community has been asking us for,” but said on Monday that recent surveys showed there wasn’t an overwhelming response for the initiative.

Councillor Henry Meskauskas has been pushing for a kerbside pickup for years, but said his concerns have fallen on deaf ears.

Council issue one free voucher per residence a year to use at the Mount Vincent waste facility, but Mr Simm said only about 53 per cent of these are used.

Speaking from an illegal dumping hot spot at Thornton, Mr Simm said people have complained about not being able to transport their rubbish to the dump in the past, but that wasn’t an excuse to dump illegally.

“If you’re able to get it here, you’ve got the opportunity to get it to landfill,” he said.

Council will work with the Hunter and Central Coast Report Illegal Dumping (RID) squad to conduct a blitz investigation on the issue.

Cr Blackmore said cracking down on illegal dumping was a priority, and the funding would allow council to be better equipped to deal with the problem.

“Illegal dumping not only negatively impacts on the environment but also the visual appeal of our city,” he said.

NSW has the toughest penalties in the nation for illegal dumping offences, with fines of up to $1 million for individuals and $5 million for corporations.

To report dumping in your area, visit ridonline.epa.nsw.gov.au.