TRUCKLOADS OF WASTE ILLEGALLY DUMPED:
‘Tip fees have gone up again so it’s cheaper to dump but it costs people like me a lot ... It’s not fair.’ – JOHN MORE
JOHN More faces a clean-up bill of up to $1000 after five truckloads of building waste were illegally dumped on his Highton block.
An angry Mr More said the waste, including soil and brick matter, had been dumped on the vacant land and surrounding properties over the past fortnight.
‘‘The neighbours have had the same treatment with piles dumped there as well. This shouldn’t happen,’’ Mr More said.
‘‘ Tip fees have gone up again so it’s cheaper to dump but it costs people like me a lot and once someone starts dumping somewhere, then others follow to the same spot.
‘‘ And all of a sudden it costs thousands to remove.
‘‘I don’t want more of it and I don’t want other people to have the same problem. It’s not fair.’’
Mr More’s block is in the middle of heavy development at The Province housing estate and he fears other land owners will fall victim to the same costly problem. ‘‘It’s not right,’’ he said. The Geelong Advertiser reported earlier this year that illegal rubbish dumping was costing regional councils millions of dollars annually.
Soaring state-determined landfill levies have seen tip fees for single-axle trailers in Geelong almost double in the past two years.
An Environment Protection Authority spokeswoman urged dump victims to contact its hotline.
The spokeswoman said illegal dumping was a serious matter with fines ranging from $ 1200 to more than $1.5 million.
‘‘ EPA has a specialist Strike Force team focused on large-scale, profit driven dumping. EPA’s Strike Force uses surveillance and intelligence gathering to catch these illegal dumpers,’’ she said.
‘‘EPA is this year targeting skip- bin companies, construction and demolition businesses, asbestos and tyre dumpers where we have identified problems.
‘‘Last year, we had a 20 per cent increase in the number of notices being issued and half our prosecutions were for illegal dumping related matters.’’