Cade Lucas
Wyndham council are appealing to civic pride in an attempt to curb illegal rubbish dumping across the municipality.
Like other councils on Melbourne’s urban fringe, rubbish dumping has been an ongoing problem in Wyndham, with piles of worn-out tyres, used building materials and household waste often found in greenfield sites, scrub and bushland.
While some of this illegal dumping is done in an organised, large scale basis, Wyndham councillor Robert Szatkowski has urged ratepayers to not make the situation worse.
“Council wants residents to feel proud of their streets and surroundings. Not only for
aesthetic reasons but for safety and sustainability as well,” Cr Szatkowski said.
Dumped tyres can be particularly hazardous, providing a fire risk as well as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Cr Szatkowski said there were severe environmental impacts from rubbish dumping too.
“Dumping unwanted items can affect flora and fauna and the natural habitat as well
as being a health hazard, particularly if there are liquids, paint tins and chemicals that
have been dumped.”
He also reminded residents that cleaning up illegally dumped rubbish is costly, with Wyndham reportedly spending more than $1 million annually to do so.
“Dumping places the burden of cost elsewhere and it ends up costing our community
in the end,” Cr Szatkowski said.
“The cost of the clean-up and removal is an unfair impost on our whole community as
council has to arrange for the removal and in the end it costs Wyndham rate payers.”
Part of that cost has gone into measures such as rapid response trucks that are deployed to remove dumped waste as soon as it is reported.
The fleet of four trucks were first introduced last year and target specific zones across the municipality, particularly those areas regarded as litter hot-spots.
Cr Szatkowski said that with residents having access to free hard and green waste collections, which can be exchanged for waste disposal vouchers, as well as a free tip voucher, there was no excuse for them to dispose of their rubbish illegally.
“Our residents have more options to dispose of rubbish in comparison to surrounding
municipalities. We encourage everyone to do the ‘right’ thing and dispose of unwanted items in the appropriate manner.”
Residents who witness illegal dumping in Wyndham are encouraged to report it to council via: mail@wyndham.vic.gov.au
