A KANGAROO flat resident is frustrated that so much rubbish is being dumped in nearby bushland.
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Carole Emslie says it is "heartbreaking" to see new waste dumped in Bendigo's forests every time she goes for a walk.
"I've seen e-waste, bits of computers, washing machines and a couple of mattresses. There's just a lot of it," she said.
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Ms Emslie is relatively new to Bendigo and spent much of her lockdown outdoors falling in love with local forests.
"It's a shame to see it at risk," she said.
Ms Emslie has made several complaints about rubbish in recent months including to the City of Greater Bendigo and the Department of Land, Water, Environment and Planning.
She echoed long-running calls from many residents for a hard rubbish collection in Bendigo, having seen how useful they were when she lived in the Melbourne suburb of Frankston.
The City of Greater Bendigo considered hard rubbish services as late as 2019 and even did a free trial in parts of the city.
Yet low numbers of people wanted to take part - 61 per cent of those who did said they would not choose to pay an extra $60-$90 in rates per year to have an annual collection.
The council now lists private contractors who can help collect hard waste goods from homes on its website but has no current plans for its own service.
It is also looking at ways to encourage a municipality-wide "circular economy" to increase the value of disposed goods and waste, in preparation for the closure of Bendigo's last-remaining landfill early this decade.
Ms Emslie said her experiences in other parts of the country suggested that hard rubbish schemes were well-supported when they were set up, even if they were not ones that people could choose to opt into.
"It was excellent because you were able to store things at home knowing that later that year you would be able to put it out for collection," she said.
Under Frankston's system, all ratepayers fund a once-a-year hard waste collection, while individuals for any additional removals.
Ms Emslie suspected that it helped cut down on illegal dumping in part because it made it easier for people without a vehicle, or who might struggle with sudden out of pocket costs.
She hoped too that more people would reassess their own views of bushland, its beauty and value.
"You've read Henry Lawson, I'd imagine, and his view of the bush was of a barren, desolate place with nothing of worth growing. I think it's deep in the Australian psyche," Ms Emslie said.