Rubbish revolt to fight illegal dumps

ALDERMAN James Walker is tired of his town being trashed.

The Clarence City Councillor is calling on the State Government to help local councils tackle the mounting problem of illegal dumping.

Ald Walker is asking for a unified approach to the issue. He believes the ineffective enforcement of the Litter Act and the fragmented response by councils is behind the spike in abandoned rubbish.

“I’m just frustrated with the fact that a reactive approach isn’t said.

“The trend on illegal dumping is rising and one of the reasons is we don’t have a statewide picture of where things are happening.”

His solution is a one-stop Rid Squad — like the ones in NSW — that use covert cameras to monitor waste hot spots and issue hefty fines to those caught littering.

The squad, which would be jointly co-ordinated and funded by the Environment Protection Authority, would also deal with issues of demarcation, so working,” Ald Walker it wouldn’t matter whether the dumping occurred on council, private or crown land.

The squad would also be tasked with running education programs, debunk the myth that waste transfer station gate fees generate profits for the council, and have the grunt to roll out region-wide antidumping campaigns.

“The Greater Hobart area needs to pilot a Rid Squad,” Ald Walker said.

“And the reason why we talk about the Greater Hobart area is because most of the dumping happens at peri- urban areas, on the urban fringe. Across the municipality it’s a day-to-day occurrence. And there’s a growing realisation that it’s too difficult for councils to try to tackle this headache in isolation,” he said.

The councillor also believes the Litter Act needs reviewing, to allow greater powers of prosecution,

“A Rid Squad, through efficiencies of scale, could handle all these matters,” he said.

The Environment Protection Authority could not be contacted.

susan.oong2@news.com.au