A Tarneit resident says that “disgusting looking” food and plastic bags are being regularly dumped at a Tarneit lake, posing a danger to ducks and other wildlife in the area.
Margaret (who asked for her surname to be withheld) said that rubbish – including rice, noodles, yellow sauce, eggs, carrots, pappadams, plastic-wrapped cheese slices, onion, other foodstuffs and plastic bags – is being left at the edge of the lake on Riversdale Drive, opposite Lindrum Outlook, about two to three times per week.
Margaret said that for the past three months she has been cleaning up the rubbish herself, from where it is left near the Davis Creek path.
“This foodstuff is contaminating the lake and is highly dangerous to the ducks and wildlife that live there,” she said.
“These people also dump all the plastic bags that they carry this food, and that also gets into the lake and waterways and is also extremely dangerous.”
Ducks should not eat “human” foods including bread, salt, green potatoes, onions, nuts, spinach and mouldy items, as they cause illnesses and also kill the birds.
Margaret said that the amount of food left by the dumpers was “far too much to come from a family home”.
She said she has reported the issue to Wyndham council twice and also Greater Western Water.
A Wyndham City spokesperson said the council could not find a record of incidents or complaints related to rubbish dumping at the Tarneit lake.
“Illegal litter dumping is a complex community problem across many municipalities in Victoria, and Wyndham has adopted a number of methods to try and reduce the amount of dumped litter,” the spokesperson said.
“We have dedicated waste education officers who aim to educate the community about their options for removing waste, and we offer three hard rubbish collections per household, per year.
“We need your support to keep Wyndham clean and ask residents to report illegal rubbish dumping on 1300 023 411.”
To report dumped rubbish, residents can also contact the council online, details: digital.wyndham.vic.gov.au/reportissue/#/
By Alesha Capone
