Hume community asked to pitch in to help stop rubbish dumping

ROGUE rubbish dumpers are turning vast swathes of Hume into garbage tips, costing the community millions in clean-up fees.

Mayor Drew Jessop with waste management officers Bianca Paulka and Gerianne Robles at a dumping site on Mt Ridley Rd, Craigieburn. Picture: Kylie Else

ROGUE rubbish dumpers are turning vast swathes of Hume into garbage tips with more than 750 cases of illegal dumping in the past financial year.

Hume Council received 757 reports and spent almost $2 million cleaning-up illegally dumped rubbish and litter during 2016/17.

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The shocking extent of the dumping problem comes as the Environment Protection Authority warns residents to look out for suspicious activities, such as unusual truck movements at night, or cheap offers of waste removal.

EPA chief executive Nial Finegan said illegal dump sites vary but could be contaminated soil removed from excavation sites to electronics and asbestos waste.

The authority has inspected about 40 illegal waste sites over the past 12 months in Melbourne’s north and northwest.

A dumping site on Mt Ridley Rd, Craigieburn. Picture: Kylie Else

Mr Finegan said waste that wasn’t managed correctly could cause pollution and be a health hazard.

A common illegal practice is the leasing of vacant land and warehouses to discard waste, he said.

Environmental lobbyists are warning that some waste companies are illegally dumping rubbish to avoid paying the landfill levy.

A Campbellfield removal business was fined $15,000 and ordered to pay $20,000 towards an environmental project in June after refusing to clean-up industrial waste on site while a demolition company was fined $1500 and ordered to pay $13,000 in court costs in October for illegally dumping industrial waste at a car park in Tullamarine.

Hume sustainable infrastructure and services director Peter Waite said there was no excuse for illegally dumping rubbish.

He said the council was currently monitoring 163 sites.

RELATED: Hume Council cracks down on rubbish dumpers in court

“Dumped rubbish – whether it is a takeaway food wrapper or large scale waste - is disrespectful of the community as a whole,” he said.

“Someone has to clean it up and the cost is then borne by the whole of the community.”

To report rubbish dumping contact Hume Council on 9205 2200.