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Authorities have removed hundreds of tyres as well as syringes and household waste ranging from old couches to a septic tank from an illegal dump in Eaglehawk – but it came at a cost of thousands of dollars to taxpayers.
A Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning spokesperson said the plot of bushland near the tip had been cleared following a massive dump of tyres earlier this month.
"Contractors removed almost 500 tyres, household furniture and a number of medical syringes on Friday, March 18 from public land at York Street and McCormacks Road in Eaglehawk,” the spokesperson told the Bendigo Advertiser.
"The tyres were taken by a tyre recycling firm that will shred, decontaminate and recycle the tyres for use in playground and sporting surfaces, shoe soles and carpet underlays.
"The removal cost of the tyres and other rubbish was in excess of five thousand dollars."
Local man Alan Hanson – whose property adjoins the Crown land and who walks his dog Lucky through it regularly – said the the ironbark forest was looking its cleanest in decades.
“There is still one decent sized pile of concrete rubble 20 metres downhill from the tyres towards my place – but this is the cleanest I have seen the bush looking in more than 15 years,” Mr Hanson said.
But illegal dumping remains rampant around Bendigo.
Last week, North West Environment Protection Authority Victoria manager Scott Pigdon told the Advertiser “large-scale, systemic illegal dumping,” was a a growing problem in Victoria.
Since then, we have been made aware of several large dumps of rubbish in bushland in Greater Bendigo.
City of Greater Bendigo acting presentation and assets director Brett Martini said Bendigo faced a particular challenge because it was surrounded by bushland, giving litterbugs the opportunity to “get away” with illegal dumping.
Report illegal dumping to the EPA via their pollution hotline 1300 EPA VIC and contact the reporter to let us know about illegal dump sites via joseph.hinchliffe@fairfaxmedia.com.au
