Road to popular reserve closed as council cleans up dumped rubbish

Councils across Tasmania are closing roads and dishing out huge fines to try and stop illegal dumping, as photos emerge of huge piles of rubbish including alcohol cans and discarded ‘nangs’. SEE THE PHOTOS >>

• Cameras set up to catch illegal dumpers in bushland reserve
• Big fines for those caught dumping rubbish in the bush

ILLEGAL dumping has become such an issue in bushland near Burnie the council has closed the road to a popular reserve to allow clean up crews access to car bodies and tonnes of other rubbish.

It comes as councils around the state tackle the issue and fines are handed out to those who are caught to deter other dumpers.

A Colebrook man was fined $1720 last week after a Southern Midlands Council and Tasmania Police investigation and in September a man was issued a $3260 fine by Tasmania’s environmental watchdog for illegally dumping tyres.

Burnie Mayor Steve Kons said illegal dumping had been a problem in the Fern Glade area for a long time and the bush was littered with furniture, mattresses, car body parts, old TVs, tyres, general household garbage and large amounts of plastic and green waste.

Some of the rubbish dumped on Fern Glade Road. Photo: Claire Davis

Removal works will take place on a 1.6km stretch of Fern Glade Rd in December to remove the waste and allow the area to naturally regenerate.

“While council staff collect isolated illegal dumping as part of day to day operations, this is a whole different ball game,” Mayor Kons said.

“Due to the location and vast amount of dumped waste will be a significant undertaking and requires a temporary road closure to do the job safely.”

During last month’s Hardwaste Collection, the Burnie Council collected 210 tonnes of waste, a significant increase from last year’s collection.

Around half of the material collected was recyclable and could have been dropped off for free

at the tip.

Items which can be dropped off for free include cans, bottles, cardboard, clothing, waste oil, batteries, gas bottles, e-waste and mobile phones.

Some of the rubbish found at Fossil Beach, including discarded alcohol cans and ‘nangs’.

Aleksandra Mirjana shared the above photo on social media, having picked up a pile of rubbish that included alcohol cans and ‘nangs’ — a slang term for nitrous oxide, or canisters found in whipped cream that are used as a recreational drug.

“Someone made a fire in the middle of the parking lot, still hot and glowing coals, and this mess everywhere … toilet paper, beer cans, cartridges, balloons, tampon wrappers … and at the beach a whole pile of fishguts and blood,” Aleksandra posted.

“So disrespectful to this beautiful land that we are guests on. It makes me sad.”

“Disgusting pigs,” one person commented.

Meanwhile, Lilydale Fire Brigade responded to a vegetation fire at Excalibur Road on Monday, with a pile of illegally-dumped rubbish set alight.

The fire had spread into the surrounding bush, with two Lilydale units responding, six members, group officer and crews from Sustainable Timber and Parks also attending.

The fire was contained quickly and crews remained until fire was blacked out.