Melbourne rubbish dumpers not stopping despite councils cracking down
FROM faeces-smeared toilet paper left by the Yarra River to streets piled high with junk, what on earth is going on in Melbourne? It’s turning into a dump.
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MELBOURNE is in the grip of a rubbish plague, as lazy dumpers leave piles of junk to overflow and trash our streets.
From motorists tossing rubbish bags out of car windows to hikers desecrating a WWII memorial, no part of the city is unaffected by selfish litterbugs.
HAS YOUR STREET BEEN TRASHED? Leave a comment below or email online@leadernewspapers.com.au
This month, a giant pile of hard rubbish took over a Ferntree Gully street, spilling over onto the footpath and obstructing the walkway for neighbours.
Angry neighbours said the messy mountain had grown over five weeks, with complaints to the Knox council going unheeded.
“Council drags its feet in the hope that by some magic means the waste will miraculously disappear,” angry resident Merle Kattouw said.
“That rubbish has been on that nature strip for the past five weeks and has now increased to such an extent that one cannot even walk on the footpath.”
Melbourne’s scenic attractions were also marred by visitors, with one Yarra River dog walker horrified to find faeces-smeared toilet paper during her stroll in Warburton East.
Despite Melbourne Water warnings, Sally McDonald said the disgusting find was becoming more common.
“There is often rubbish left around, but this was the worst I’ve seen to date,” Ms McDonald told Leader this month. “Toilet paper with faeces, discarded in full view.”
Walkers were called out by the 1000 Steps Facebook page in February, with more than a dozen plastic drink bottles, coffee cups and clothing desecrating a plaque at the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk.
Appallingly, more bottles were littered next to a sign encouraging visitors to take their personal items back from the walk, which honours Australia’s World War II soldiers who fought and died in Papua New Guinea.
Not even the Salvation Army is immune, sparking calls for barbed wire to be installed around the charity’s Balwyn op shop to protect it from mounds of rubbish.
The Sunbury Salvos store west of Melbourne was also left looking like a tip every weekend as dumpers and scavengers scattered goods around the Horne St store, forcing the shop to roster on extra staff to clean the mess.
The ongoing issue is costing the Salvation Army more than $6 million a year to clear, despite bags of items being dropped off by well-meaning donors.
Salvos Stores marketing manager Aife O’Loughlin told Leader this month it was not just an aesthetic issue for staff to deal with, but also potentially dangerous.
“Out of hours donations can cause some issues for our store teams and the community in which our store is based, as they are often damaged or stolen overnight and the remaining items are often strewn across the footpaths,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
At least three Melbourne municipalities are cracking down on the polluters this year, with the Monash council the latest to trial a “confronting” system that encourages neighbours to dob in a dumper.
Instead of removing junk within 24 hours of being reported, the council will tape it up and write to nearby properties for information on the person who dumped it.
The Kingston council also announced a crackdown this month that will nab dumpers in its 2070ha green wedge, which is home to unauthorised tips, bin operations and other inappropriate activities.
In Melbourne’s northwest, the Hume council will also fight against litter louts, after residents comparing Craigieburn to a “pig sty” when dumpers offloaded their trash on nature strips.
The municipality stings litterbugs with fines of up to $2000 and has created a hotline for residents to dob in a dumper.
To report illegal dumping, contact your local council or the Environment Protection Authority Victoria on 1300 372 842 (1300 EPA VIC).
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