Locals rage as affluent Aussie suburb becomes rubbish dump
Locals are fed up with bulky goods being dumped in their neighbourhood.
Residents of an affluent Sydney suburb demanded local council intervene after the leafy suburb was turned into a rubbish dump last week.
A concerned Dee Why resident shared a photo of the kerbside eyesore to a Facebook community group, asking those responsible: "Who raised you?"
The picture shows a rubbish pile extending along the front perimeter of a block of units on Pacific Parade, containing everything from scooters and broken washing baskets to unwanted office chairs and dirty old mattresses. So many goods have been dumped at one end of the pile that the footpath has become blocked and is effectively closed to pedestrian traffic.
Residents have had enough
The dumping was condemned by hundreds of angry locals, with one calling the perpetrators "animals". "Where's your pride for our beaches, people?" another asked.
Others explained how such a mess is the result of a snowball effect. "As soon as one item appears, everyone adds to it!" a resident complained. "This is exactly the problem. Randoms dumping their rubbish on top that don't even live there," someone agreed.
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Some locals blamed the council's bulky goods collection policy itself for the litter heap. "We need to finally bite the bullet and do something about this out-of-date bulky goods council clean-up policy," said one. "Put an end to bulky goods [collection]. Delete the consumer mindset. Offer one small load per year," someone agreed.
Council takes action
Yahoo News understands Northern Beaches Council was notified on Friday that rubbish had been illegally dumped on Pacific Parade and rangers removed the items on Saturday.
The council has recently appointed a full-time illegal dumping coordinator to help prevent illegal dumping, which is viewed as a public safety issue as it restricts footpath access, can damage the environment, harms wildlife and native flora, and can even impact human health.
Penalties for illegal dumping
Adding rubbish to other people's bulky goods piles or placing materials on the kerbside without a clean-up booking is illegal dumping and fines may apply. Council encourages residents to report any dumped material (whether the person responsible is known or not) so action can be taken to identify the person or business, and arrange removal of the dumped material.
Items that can't be reused or recycled can be disposed of through Council's bulky goods collection service or taken to Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre, which serves the area.
Illegal dumping is a serious offence in NSW, with on-the-spot fines of up to $7,500 for individuals and $15,000 for corporations, as well as penalties as large as $5 million for more serious offences.
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