Illegal dumping, hard rubbish on the rise and costing Moonee Valley ratepayers
Streets across Flemington and surrounds are becoming garbage tips as illegal dumping increases and council collection services struggle to keep up with demand.
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Parents with kids and prams are zigzagging across Moonee Valley streets to avoid the growing obstacle course of uncollected hard rubbish.
The rubbish is also becoming a hazard to the visually impaired and elderly people, Flemington residents say.
Pick up of hard rubbish left on the kerb in Moonee Valley remains two weeks behind schedule because there’s too much for the trucks to handle.
ILLEGAL DUMPING ON THE RISE AND COSTING MOONEE VALLEY
SHARING TIPS FOR GOING PLASTIC FREE IN JULY AND ALWAYS IN MOONEE VALLEY
Moonee Valley Mayor Narelle Sharpe said the annual collection was delayed because of a 65 per cent increase in waste compared to 2017 and illegal dumping adding to the volume of rubbish on the street.
“We are working hard to complete the collection as soon as possible,” she said.
Council’s planning and environment spokeswoman, Cr Nicole Marshall, is urging people to be patient.
“The council is committed to keeping Moonee Valley clean, green and beautiful and the hard
waste collection is an important part of this process,” she said.
In the mean time, furniture, mattresses, electronics and appliances are strewn across streets after being hit by rain, wind and vandals.
Carolyn Chillura said her neighbour put out a lounge suite and a few days later, someone had cut the three-seater in half.
Keilor East resident Dylan Beaconsfield said his hard rubbish had just been collected after sitting on the street for almost three weeks.
Another Keilor East resident, Marisa Ditizio-Palermo, said her rubbish had also just been collected but she was “not complaining of the delay as it saves me several trips to the tip”.
Michelle Notaro-Tripodi, also from Keilor East, said everything had been collected except her mattress.
She was told by the council it would be collected but the pick up was running behind schedule.
A Keilor Park resident said rubbish from a building site and a couch had been sitting on the nature strip on the corner of Victory Rd and Thomas St in Airport West for weeks.
Resident Timmy Baxter said someone dumped a mattress outside his house in Essendon.
The council estimates all hard rubbish should be collected by December 21.
Investigating, removing and disposing of dumped rubbish costs the council about $250,000 a year.
Mattresses and couches are the most commonly dumped items, followed by green waste.
People who witness illegal dumping can call the EPA hotline on 1300 372 842 or the council’s customer service and lodge a request for it to be removed.
In 2017, the council received 2013 complaints about dumped rubbish items, including 371 mattresses, 193 couches, 92 green waste, 36 televisions, 21 washing machines, 14 fridges, and six computer monitors.
Visit mvcc.vic.gov.au/waste for more information on collection dates.
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