Group upset over rubbish dumping

By Tania Martin
A FRIENDS group feels their work has been diminished after rubbish was dumped in parkland near Belgrave.
The Friends of Monbulk Creek Trestle Bridge has spent the last four years working to maintaining and cleaning up the parkland near the Puffing Billy Trestle bridge off Belgrave-Gembrook Road.
But they now feel their work has been diminished by the dumping of an old refrigerator and other rubbish.
Vicki Boyle, group spokeswoman, said rubbish dumpings have always been a problem, but this latest attack is disheartening after so much hard work had gone into clearing the land of weeds.
La Trobe MP Jason Wood said it is disgusting that people are dumping rubbish after friends groups spend hours cleaning and maintaining the park areas in the Dandenong Ranges.
“Seeing this (rubbish) is just heartbreaking for all the volunteers who work so hard,” he said.
Matt Hoogland, Parks Victoria Ranger, said dumping rubbish including garden waste has a serious impact on the natural values of the Dandenong Ranges National Park.
Mr Hoogland said littering is an offence and can attract heavy fines.
“We encourage the community to be diligent and report any incident relating to rubbish dumping in the national park by calling Parks Victoria on 13 19 63, the local police or the Shire of Yarra Ranges,” he said.
Mr Hoogland said important details to note are the time, place, date and a description of the car and offender if possible.
“It is a costly and time consuming exercise to remove dumped rubbish, and we can only fully protect our parks in partnership with the community and we rely on their support to ensure our precious natural environment is protected for future generations to enjoy,” he said.