Resident crying foul
RUBBISH DUMPED IN CORIO PARKLAND
A CORIO thoroughfare is being used as a makeshift tip, with mattresses, suitcases and paint tins rotting there, a resident says.
Brian Banks said he was finding hard rubbish at the parkland off Carmarthen Drive next to his home about once every four weeks.
Mr Banks suspects renters moving out of the area are the culprits, choosing to dump their hard rubbish on the land rather than taking it to the tip.
“The people that leave don’t have to look at this but we do. It’s a real blight on the area,” Mr Banks said.
“People are too lazy to take their rubbish to the tip. They usually dump rubbish at night and they are pretty quiet.”
He said three bed bases and a mattress were dumped on the land connecting Bren Court and Carmarthen Drive on Thursday night.
“I heard voices outside while I was in bed and then came out on Friday afternoon and saw the rubbish dumped there.”
The land is dotted with trees and Mr Banks said rubbish was usually dumped around them.
Mr Banks, a Corio resident for 40 years, called for more advertising of council’s mattress recycling and lounge suite pick-up service.
Earlier this month an antidumping campaign was launched proposing to install CCTV cameras and increase council patrols of known rubbish hot spots.
TV presenter Catriona Rowntree is the face of the campaign that will feature in a series of videos, billboards and advertising to encourage people to use recycling centres.
“The local community has had enough of picking up the litter of a lazy few,” Rowntree said this month.
“It’s just not fair, especially when our council offers so many ways to help you get rid of rubbish,”
Rowntree is promoting council’s $20 old lounge suite pick-up service, as well as the $10 November mattress dropoff offer.
“I grew up with the Do The Right Thing campaign, so I cannot understand people who think nothing of dumping their leftovers for others to pick up after them,” Rowntree said.
Mattresses can be dropped at the Geelong Resource Recovery Centre, North Geelong, and the Drysdale Resource Recovery Centre on Becks Rd.
People can report littering to the EPA on 1300 372 842.