Tis the season for spring cleaning, renovating … and illegal dumping.
The Environment Protection Authority is calling on any residents or businesses doing a clean-out to be mindful when disposing of rubbish, and to choose a respectable company if hiring a skip bin.
“There are fly-by-night skip bin operators who will give you a very cheap price, then abandon your renovation waste in the bush, on private land or in a rented warehouse,” Chris Webb from the EPA’s Illegal Waste Disposal Strikeforce said.
“The landholder, your local council, or even you, might be the one left with the clean-up cost, and unlike the skip bin, it won’t be cheap.”
Wyndham is one of metropolitan Melbourne’s biggest hotspots for illegal dumping, with the council investigating 415 reports of illegal dumping this year alone, 91 of which resulted in fines.
Last year, the council investigated 317 cases and 69 of them resulted in infringements being issued.
Wyndham council environment and sustainability portfolio holder Heather Marcus said not all reports of illegal dumping were the result of complaints from residents, with council officers discovering many sites through patrols.
“For example, on April 24 this year, a council officer came across dumped material from a building site on Shanahans Road in Mount Cottrell,” Cr Marcus said.
“An inspection of the dumped rubbish found information that connected it to a local builder. The builder confirmed that a truck driver had removed the material from his building site and the truck driver later admitted to dumping the rubbish and removed it at his own expense. He was also issued a fine.
“Most people do the right thing and dispose of their rubbish correctly. However, council takes it very seriously when people dump rubbish illegally and we will not hesitate to prosecute them.”
Residents can report illegal dumping through the council on 9742 0777 or the EPA on 1300 372 842.
