Dumping captured

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
NEW CCTV cameras could be the answer to Yellingbo’s illegal rubbish dump site.
Yellingbo residents are wondering why their town entrance has become a dumping ground with a growing pile of rubbish since March.
The rubbish, lying in a truck stop, metres from the town entrance began growing after council’s hard rubbish pick-up finished more than five weeks ago.
Despite council cleaning up the mess of old TVs, tyres, children’s toys and many other items last week, the Mail has been told more rubbish was dumped over the weekend.
Illegal rubbish dumping costs Yarra Ranges ratepayers more than $200,000 a year, prompting the council to hire a full-time litter enforcement officer.
Extra help has been received from the state government to reduce the amount of litter in the valley through the use of CCTV cameras in rubbish dumping hotspots.
Gembrook MP Brad Battin said the Yarra Ranges received almost $7000 in funding through the Victorian Government’s $1.4 million Roadside Litter and Public Place Recycling Program for computerised surveillance equipment to assist in investigating dumping “hot spots”.
“Many Victorians put a lot of effort into recycling at home and are spending more and more time in our parks, gardens and sporting grounds, that’s why it’s important to improve recycling practices in our public places and clean up our roadsides,” Mr Battin said.
Mayor Terry Avery said people dump the equivalent of 30 garbage trucks of illegally dumped rubbish throughout the Yarra Ranges every year.
He said the litter enforcement officer, who investigates reports of illegal dumping and tapes off the area to gather evidence, has already saved costs to both council and the environment.
“So far this has enabled council to catch offenders in 75 per cent of the 226 cases reported in the past eight months,” he said.
“Offenders are fined and made to clean up the rubbish at their own cost. If they don’t co-operate, they are taken to court.”
He said the CCTV cameras, in locations yet to be chosen, would enable the council to obtain evidence that would assist with prosecutions around illegal rubbish dumping.
Those caught dumping rubbish face fines of up to $1500 and community members who witness illegal dumping practices should report to the Yarra Ranges Council on 1300 368 333.