Rubbish dump wrangle

By Kath Gannaway
CONFUSION about the “address” of a mounting pile of rubbish has resulted in three weeks of to-ing and fro-ing between VicRoads and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.
Meanwhile residents in Koo Wee Rup and Syme Road on the border of Woori Yallock and Healesville have had to put up with a sight which one resident Liz Wright-Smith described as disgusting and embarrassing.
Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road is the responsibility of VicRoads but Syme Road is a shire road. The rubbish has been dumped around the corner presenting, apparently, a quandary for the shire and VicRoads.
Ms Wright-Smith said rubbish was regularly dumped at the intersection when the shire was running a hard rubbish collection.
She said one resident who was under the mistaken believe there was a hard rubbish collection looming had been seen putting out a small amount.
She said the pile had since grown and grown over the past month with people taking the easy way out and dumping not only hard garbage items there, but household rubbish, garden cuttings and tyres.
Ms Wright-Smith said she first rang the shire on 16 November and was advised it was VicRoads’ responsibility. A call to VicRoads put the ball back in the shire’s court.
“I made four more phone calls to the shire between 21 and 29 November and they just literally washed their hands of the issue,” Ms Wright-Smith said.
“It was embarrassing with friends visiting from Switzerland. What was I to say …. just turn in opposite the dump?”, she hypothesised.
Another resident Rob Danese said the rubbish was an eyesore and backed up other residents’ views that the corner is seen as an easy dumping ground.
He said the rise in tip fees, while not excusing the dumping, could be a factor.
“The fees went from $35 to $58 at Wesburn and for a lot of people that’s prohibitive,” he said.
Kate Paton, another resident, said the rubbish was a blight on the landscape but said it was more of a disgrace that nothing had been done to get rid of it sooner.
VicRoads regional director issued a statement to the Mail last week saying it was his understanding the dumping had come about due to confusion with the shire’s green waste collection.
He said VicRoads was working with the shire on the issue but made no commitment as to whose responsibility it was.
The shire has no doubt, however, about where the responsibility lies.
“We have had discussions with VicRoads and are surprised that they haven’t taken it as their responsibility,” James Martin, Shire of Yarra Ranges manager of community relations told the Mail on Monday.
“We feel this problem of opportunistic dumping has been ongoing for some time and we feel it is important VicRoads takes some steps to address it.
“That could be something like putting up signs or perhaps fencing.”
Mr Martin said, however, the shire would take care of the situation.
“Given that VicRoads have refused to clean it up, and the fact we don’t want to continue to see residents being treated as the meat in the sandwich, we will send out a truck.”
Mr Martin asked for the assistance of residents to identify illegal dumpers by noting registration numbers and other identifying features and reporting offenders to the shire or the police.
Mrs Wright-Smith was pleased to hear on Monday that someone had taken responsibility.
“I’m very pleased,” she told the Mail, “… but considering the fact I first complained in the middle of November it has taken a long time.”