HEFTY fees for dumping rubbish at the Brooklyn tip are causing streets surrounding it to become havens for illegal dumping, according to one resident.
Mervin Frost says he’s tired of seeing tattered, stained mattresses sprawled on roadsides surrounded by broken furniture and old TV sets.
The Albanvale resident said he couldn’t totally blame residents for dumping their rubbish on the street, with fees at Brooklyn soaring to more than $80 for a trailer of rubbish.
“In no way do I condone the illegal dumping of rubbish on the streets, but there are two sides to this story and one side is that people can’t afford an extra $85 here and there to dump their rubbish.
“It’s ridiculous. Part of the responsibility has to fall back on the council or the tip owner.”
Charities are also bearing the brunt of the dumping, with bills for removing unwanted items outside their op shops running into the thousands of dollars. Mr Frost is calling for councils to introduce free tip vouchers to encourage residents to do the right thing.
The Brooklyn tip, owned by Transpacific Industries Group, charges residents $65 for a ute load of waste, between $75 and $95 for a small trailer, and between $100 and $160 for a large trailer.
In Wyndham, residents are charged $44 for utes and vans, $44 for single trailers, $77 for larger trailers, and $30 to dispose of a mattress.
Mr Frost called on councils to introduce more hard rubbish collections in the city.
“One hard rubbish collection a year just isn’t enough for the population we have here. Private fees are out of reach and it’s going to get worse as more people move to the area,” he said.
“Main Road West at the moment has mattresses on the side of the road and somebody has just dumped a broken wardrobe.”
Stuart Menzies, acting general manager of city development at Brimbank Council, which oversees the Brooklyn tip, said the council conducted kerbside collections of green waste and hard rubbish each June and July.
“Residents receive a leaflet in their letterbox two weeks prior to their collection date, advising them of the exact date and instructions on what material can be disposed of.”
Mr Menzies said the council spent $780,000 to remove illegally dumped rubbish last financial year. He said residents caught illegally dumping waste could be fined more than $10,000.
