Residents of Melbourne's Clayton South are expressing outrage as their neighbourhood has become a dumping ground for mountains of rubbish piled along a busy main road. The waste, stretching at least 100 metres, has created an eyesore that has sparked anger among locals.
Residents disgusted by rubbish
"It's disgusting. This is not a third world country," local resident Helen Stana told 7NEWS. The dumped items include mattresses, clothes, blankets, marijuana leaves and grow pots, as well as unopened boxes of nicotine pouches.
Local business owner Russ Porteous said the junk has continued to accumulate for six months, prompting him to call out the government on social media. "This is a debacle. It is in the city of Kingston. We have a government that doesn’t care," he said.
Council and transport department blame each other
Kingston Council issued a statement acknowledging the community's frustration regarding the illegal dumping and sharing concerns about the impact on local amenity and the environment. However, the council said the particular location falls within land managed by the Department of Transport and Planning.
"The area in question forms part of the arterial road reserve and is used for truck parking associated with the road network, rather than providing access to adjoining properties," the council stated. But the transport department believes it is the council's responsibility.
"Stop pointing fingers. Stop being bureaucratic," Porteous said.
Clean-ups ineffective
Cleaning crews from the Transport Department came out several weeks ago to clear some of the mess and said the team will be returning. However, the illegal dump site has been cleaned twice since November, yet rubbish continues to be dumped.
"They clean it up and it comes straight back. I think it’s been cleaned up twice that I can recall since November," Porteous said.
The only form of deterrence are signs warning of CCTV, but locals say they don’t see any cameras, so people are likely to just keep dumping.
