Rogue dumpers turn Melbourne suburbs into tips

THIS soccer field-sized pile of illegal garbage — which includes mattresses, furniture and a wading pool — can be found in a Melbourne suburb. And it isn’t the only one.

A soccer field-sized expanse of refuse in which discarded mattresses, furniture, a wading pool and milk crates are strewn about can be found in Ardeer. Picture: Alex Coppel

ROGUE rubbish dumpers are turning vast swathes of suburban land into garbage tips.

Herald Sun photos of a block in Ardeer show a soccer field-sized expanse of refuse, in which discarded mattresses, furniture, a wading pool and milk crates are strewn about.

The Environment Protection Authority issued bin-hire firm Dirty Harry’s a clean-up notice for the Ardeer site in December 2015, but nothing has been done.

The site’s owner, Bill Patten, said the debris, close to a waterway, included asbestos.

Bill Patten, who owns a block of land used as a rubbish dump, says the property’s waste includes asbestos. Picture: Alex Coppel

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The EPA — which has inspected nearly 350 illegal dumps in the past two years — said it was aware of claims Dirty Harry’s may be associated with illegal rubbish disposal at Ardeer, Heidelberg West, Diggers Rest, Dallas, and Campbellfield sites.

Figures show 350,000 tonnes of scrap — enough to fill 140 Olympic swimming pools — are illegally dumped in Victoria every year. Some dumpers rent warehouses or land, fill them with waste, then walk off.

Dumps blight many areas, especially in Hume, Brimbank, Wyndham, Manningham, and parks and farms in regions including Geelong and Mildura.

Brimbank council, where Mr Patten’s site is, spent $700,000 cleaning up illegally dumped rubbish in the past financial year and runs out-of-hours anti-dumping patrols.

Mayor John Hedditch said he had heard of operators stealing trucks and bins to set up business.

“They charge low fees. They pick up the waste for cash. They don’t have to pay fees. They’re making big money,” Cr Hedditch said.

Mr Patten, a former policeman, said his ownership of his site made him legally responsible for dumping by the tenant.

The $2 million bill would cost him his superannuation and life savings, he said.

“There is no enforcement. The legislation needs to be changed to make these people responsible,” Mr Patten said.

Bill Patten says the $2 million bill to clean up the property would cost him his superannuation and life savings. Picture: Alex Coppel

Bill Patten says his ownership of this site makes him legally responsible for dumping by the tenant. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Dirty Harry’s owner Alexander Anasis told the Herald Sun he had no plans to clean up the Ardeer property.

Bad publicity had led to the demise of his business and he could not afford it, he said.

“I have no equipment,” he said on Thursday night. “I don’t have no finances. I’ve lost everything.”

Asked whether it was fair for Mr Patten to pay, he said: “I’ve lost my family and that’s worth more than $2 million.”

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