PT HENRY DUMP SHAME
BELLARINE MP Lisa Neville has vowed to take action on illegal rubbish dumping at Point Henry by ordering the Environment Protection Authority and landowners to clean up the rubbish.
Shameless rubbish dumpers are continuing to desecrate Point Henry, with Geelong council naming the site one of the region’s litterbug hotspots.
More than six months after photographs captured by the Geelong Advertiser showed metres of piping, hydrogen cylinders, metal drums and other rubbish clogging hundreds of metres of river bed, the problem has returned.
Last week the now near-dry waterbed, near the Old Saltworks, was filled with old tyres, piping and other non-degradable waste.
The City of Greater Geeelong responded to 67 cleann up requests for Point Henry Foreshore Reserve last year, r, including 32 after the publiication of the Addy’s photos. s.
And the clean-up is costting ratepayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Cleaning up dumped rubb bish across the municipality cost the council $761,000, 0, while the clean-up bill was
a more than $800,000 in the 2018-19 financial year.
Council director of city y services Guy Wilson-Browne said the onus to clean up the site fell on the landowners.
“The city has not received any formal complaints about this specific waterway location,” Mr Wilson-Browne said. “However, we will conduct an inspection of the site. .
“Th “The city removes dumped rubbish from the Point Henry Foreshore Reserve on a regular basis and conducts weekly inspections.”
Ms Neville said anyone who saw illegal dumping take place should alert the EPA.
“Clean-up of the
Point - considering deterrence measures for Point Henry, including signage, surveillance cameras and community education.
It is - working with agencies including y the EPA and Keep Victoria Beautiful to tackle ilse legal “Point litter Henry, across the as region. a known hotspot for rubbish dumping, will be a key location for any initial actions to be implemented by the taskforce,” Mr Wilson-Browne said.
The long-awaited future of the site was detailed in a state government report last year that declared the Moolap wetlands off-limits to developers and instead detailed plans to
Henry site is a matter for Alcoa with guidance from the EPA and we know that this will take some time,” Ms Neville said.
“I will be asking the EPA to work with relevant authorities and Alcoa to clear up illegal rubbish on the site.”
The CoGG said it was also transform the 1200ha coastal stretch.
But the plan is subject to more rehabilitation by Alcoa, which could take at least a decade.
“The plan envisages Point Henry transforming into a high-amenity and sustainable coastal residential community with tourism attractions and accommodation, but clearly there’s a lot of work to be done before this happens,” Ms Neville said.
The next steps include detailed design and infrastructure planning.
Make a report to the EPA on 1300 372 842