Council cleans up illegal tip after outcry from homeowners

A local council has finally stepped in to clean up a mountain of illegally dumped rubbish that would not stop growing.

A Victorian council has started to clean up a mountain of illegally dumped rubbish after fed-up homeowners pleaded for it to be dealt with.

A vacant lot in Craigieburn, north of Melbourne, had steadily piled up with rubbish for months.

One local resident described a “tornado” of waste being blown around daily, and the local Hume City Council was called on to clean it up.

In a statement on Wednesday the council confirmed that all of the rubbish located on public land had been removed, and the landowner had been given an ultimatum.

“The landowner has been issued with an infringement notice, a notice to comply, and a notice of intention to enter the property. These notices outline specific timelines and directions for the required clean-up of the property,” a Hume City Council spokeswoman said.

“Should the landowner fail to comply within the specified timeframes, council will engage a contractor to undertake the necessary works, with all associated costs to be recovered from the landowner.

“Council will continue to remove any rubbish that is on public land and will ensure the public areas are kept safe while we finalise the notice process with the landowner.”

Locals say the rubbish tip keeps getting bigger. Picture: Nine (ACA)

A Current Affair spoke to the dump’s neighbour Alexandra, who said “every single day” she saw a new pile of rubbish.

“It’s gotten to the point of squalor,” she told the program.

She said the dump started with tyres and mattresses, but now it kept piling up and she feared that it would soon grow to reach her fence.

Another local, Angela, told the program the dump was worse when it was windy.

“A lot of the times when we’ve got high winds, a lot of the rubbish ends up on our nature strips and footpaths and it becomes quite dangerous,” Angela said.

The site has become a health hazard, with chemicals and pet waste also being dumped at the site.

Alexandra told the program that she had contacted the local council repeatedly but received no follow-up.

She is calling for fencing and surveillance cameras to be installed to stop and catch any offenders.

“Please come and clean the rubbish. It’s really getting to getting to us all and we need something done. It’s disgusting and it’s disappointing,” she said.

Homeowner Alexandra said she had contacted the council repeatedly. Picture: Nine (ACA)

The program spoke to Hume Council Deputy Mayor Naim Kurt, who said the situation was “not good enough”.

“That’s why I’ve spoken to officers today and I want them to be getting on top of it,” he said.

“So we’re going to be prioritising this.”

Originally published as Council cleans up illegal tip after outcry from homeowners