Craigieburn grandmother fights to protect Fletcher Rd from illegal rubbish dumpers
We all hate seeing trash piling up in our neighbourhoods, but a Craigieburn grandmother has taken her fight against litterers to the next level. This is the moment she stood up to a man who tried to dump rubbish in the vacant block next to her house.
North West
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A Craigieburn grandmother has taken up the fight against illegal rubbish dumpers as she battles to keep her street clean.
Ann Del Borrello, 73, says she’s fed up with litterers using her neighbourhood as a dumping ground, so she’s put up a sign and started confronting people on the footpath as they arrive to leave their rubbish.
Video taken from Fletcher Rd – opposite Highlands shopping centre – shows a man being told off by Ms Del Borrello after leaving rubbish at a vacant block.
He then quickly picks up his junk, puts it back in his car and drives off.
MORE: HUME RESIDENTS PAY FOR DUMPED RUBBISH
Ms Del Borrello said dumpers were adding to the pile in Fletcher Rd daily and it “had to stop”.
She said she put up a sign saying “do not dump your rubbish here” but people still did.
“It doesn't deter people, it's disgraceful that people are like that,” she said.
“You walk to the shops and you see it and your friends notice it and they mention it.
“Over Christmas and New Year all my family and friends that came, all they talked about was 'look at the rubbish next to your house' and that really made me feel absolutely terrible.
“It's really an eyesore and it makes me really angry.
“I’ve put up with this for the five years I've been here, cleaning up all these bits of paper all the time.”
Hume Council said it was aware of the property in question and had conducted inspections.
Ms Del Borrello said the owner had cleaned up the vacant block after he was fined but the council wouldn’t confirm if the owner had been issued a penalty due to privacy reasons.
Under local laws an owner or occupier must not allow their land to become a danger to health, unsightly or detrimental to the general amenity of the neighbourhood.
Council corporate services director Daryl Whitfort said land owners were responsible for removing rubbish unless evidence was provided to prove it wasn’t them who dumped it.
He said the council was very active in investigating illegally dumped waste.
Mr Whitfort said the council would issue notices to comply for owners to remove rubbish and then infringement notices if they failed to do so.
“Council encourages landowners to fence vacant blocks to deter illegal dumping,” Mr Whitfort said.
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The council has a range of free services for Hume residents to dispose of hard rubbish, including yearly tip passes, a hard rubbish collection service and hard rubbish and recycling drop off days.
The council spent $2.55 million last financial year clearing up dumped rubbish.
Sustainable Infrastructure and Services director Peter Waite said illegal dumping of residential, commercial and demolition waste was a significant issue in Hume and greater Melbourne.