By Brendan Rees
Piles of rubbish dumped beside a busy road including disposable face masks in Hampton Park and Lynbrook has disgusted a resident.
Bob Bush said he and his wife, both in their 70s, had regularly seen rubbish including building materials dumped sporadically along Ormond Road and Lynbrook Boulevard during their daily hourly exercise.
“People are dumping rubbish; there’s bricks, there’s paper bottles, all the gutters are full on this block of land,” he said referring to Lynbrook Boulevard.
“People are just dropping their face masks; it’s a walkway. It’s just peeves me off.”
He believed most of the rubbish had blown of waste trucks going to the tip at Hallam Road and was further appalled to find dog poop bags near a treed area.
Mr Bush said the abandoned rubbish had been continuous since the first round of the coronavirus lockdown in March and hoped it the issue would be addressed by council.
“I’ve been in Hampton Park for 45 years … It’s a shame to see it.”
Casey Council manager of sustainability and waste Michael Jansen said council staff were continuing to investigate reports of illegally dumped rubbish and remove litter from public places during stage four restrictions.
“Single use mask and glove litter is a problem being experienced across Melbourne at present,” Mr Jansen said.
“A Litter Prevention Officer has been allocated to inspect the area around Ormond Road and Hallam Road. We have a litter collection contractor that pro-actively attends to litter hot spots and reactively cleans up litter when required.
He said council encouraged all residents to report litter issues, including litter falling from vehicles, via council’s online form, and include specific details, such as exact address to assist investigations.
“We ask that all residents are responsible for their own mask and glove litter by bagging, sealing and binning it. For more information on disposing of single use masks go to the EPA Website.
“Another option is to purchase or make reusable masks which can be washed between uses. Instructions on how to make a reusable mask are on the DHHS website.”
The Environmental Protection Authority Victoria on its website said single use face masks and gloves should be disposed of responsibly in a general waste bin.
“For households with a suspected or diagnosed Covid-19 case, place disposable PPE (personal protective equipment) and tissues into a sealed plastic or paper bag, and then in your general waste bin. Thoroughly clean your hands before and after carrying rubbish to your general waste bin or moving bins to and from the kerbside.”
