Illegal dumping on the rise in Holdfast Bay after council cuts free hard-rubbish pick-ups in half

ILLEGAL dumping has skyrocketed on the streets of an Adelaide council which reduced the number of free hard-rubbish pick-ups from two to one per year. But staff say that’s not the reason for the increase.

Council workers collect the rubbish. Picture: John Appleyard. Source: File.

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ILLEGAL dumping on Holdfast Bay streets has skyrocketed since the council reduced the number of free hard-rubbish pick-ups from two to one per year.

Council workers picked up dumped rubbish from local streets 194 times in 2016, compared with 31 times in 2015 and 16 times in 2014.

There were 41 incidents up until February 22 this year.

Councillors voted in April 2015 to charge residents $50 for a second pick-up in the same financial year (or $25 for pensioners), rather than offering two free collections.

The figures were revealed in response to questions put to staff by Cr Lynda Yates at last week’s council meeting.

She said rubbish left in streets “isn’t a great look”.

“It’s also that council is having to spend more money getting that picked up,” Cr Yates said.

Rubbish dumped on a Somerton Park footpath.

Rather than blaming the cut on the paid second pick-up, Cr Yates put it down to an increase in renters in Holdfast Bay, and particularly a trend towards shorter leases.

This was backed up by the council’s general manager for assets and services, Steve Hodge.

“People who make a decision to dump are usually leaving rental accommodation and simply leave the rubbish at the kerb or (it is) opportunistic drive-by dumping,” Mr Hodge said.

He said the council had issued 25 fines for illegal dumping since the second pick-up charge came in during July 2015.

So far this financial year, the council has spent $1800 picking up and getting rid of dumped rubbish.

The Holdfast Bay area has a much higher than average population of renters, according to real estate data firm CoreLogic.

Just under half of houses and apartments in Glenelg are rented, compared with 28 per cent statewide.