Neighbour's 'grotty' act sparks debate about common council problem
A local woman in one of the country's most affluent areas has hit out at "grotty" neighbours over an all too common gripe when it comes to council pick-ups.
The woman on the Northern Beaches of Sydney got on her self-described "soapbox" on Saturday after a pile of discarded household goods began to quietly grow on the side of the street.
"This is our footpath. It started out quite small a couple of days ago. It has been a dumping ground for the neighbourhood ever since," she wrote, sharing a picture of the messy pile near her home.
She urged her neighbours to book their own council waste collection, blasting the "grotty, lazy people who brazenly dump their junk on someone else's footpath".
"People now see this as an opportunity to dump all their s**t that won't get collected on someone else's lawn ... Massive fail by council," she complained.
Yahoo News has previously covered the issue of residents unlawfully adding to a neighbour's council pick-up – something which became a heated topic last year when staff shortages due to industrial action delayed many waste collections in the Sydney City Council area.
The woman's post seemingly hit a cord with many Northern Beaches locals who flocked to the post to share their displeasure, while some actually defended the practice.
"It is disgusting where I live in Sydney. Will ring the council and make a date and it's only allowed to go out the night before [but] you still get people dumping rubbish on your pile," one person complained in the comments.
"Reading these comments some people are so unneighbourly and they sound so entitled. People always add to my pile. Do I care? No," one woman wrote.
According to the Norther Beaches Council, "adding to other people's Bulky Good Collection piles or placing your materials out on the kerb-side without a Bulky Good Collection booking is considered illegal dumping and fines may apply." The fines for illegal dumping in the area range from $535 to $4,000, and double if carried out by a business.
Households are afforded two free bulky rubbish collections a year via appointment, but many in the comments expressed a preference for designated days, which is how some councils previously operated.
"System is fine. Humans are terrible. Unfortunately this happens in high density areas," one person argued.
"Problem with two cleanups a year is that the schedule doesn't often coincide with when people are moving house, which is when they are most likely to need to get rid of stuff. The booked system in my area is so backlogged, you have to book a date 6-8 weeks in advance," another said.
Waste expected to pile up after flooding
The Northern Beaches didn't escape the heavy deluge over the weekend, with some areas flooding and authorities forced to open up the Narrabeen Lagoon to save nearby houses. Residents were told to return home on Saturday with caution after rising waters flooded fields and roads around the Lagoon.
Some residents expressed concern there would be delays to waste collection bookings due to the flooding and spike in discarded items. The council told Yahoo News Australia no changes were planned for waste pick-ups in wake of the floods, saying while the wet conditions created some garden debris, it expected minimal damage to residential dwellings.
As for that garden debris, council advises excess green waste which can't fit in the green bin can be taken to Kimbriki Resource and Recover Centre and Council which will subsidise the cost of storm waste for up to 300kg per day.
The council also urged residents not to put their waste out for collection until the night before so as to avoid illegal dumping from other residents.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
