Creek dump

By Tania Martin
MONBULK Creek has gone from a picture of health to a rubbish dump in just four months despite a $250,000 makeover.
Yarra Ranges’ councillor Saman-tha Dunn said it was disappointing to see people using the area as a dumping ground.
She told a council meeting last Tuesday (9 March) how a Clean Up Australia Day crew had found more than 11 car tyres in the creek near Belgrave.
“It was pretty ordinary considering it’s one of Melbourne’s last visible platypus populations,” Cr Dunn said.
“To find our creek trashed in that sort of way is very disappointing.”
Selby Conservation Reserve member Jackie Glen was shocked by the amount of dumped rubbish.
She said it was incredible to see how many car tyres had been dumped in or around the creek.
Some even still had the rims attached.
“We couldn’t believe it,” Ms Glen said.
This comes just four months after the Mail reported in its story, ‘New life for creek,’ it was a ‘picture of health’ following a $250,000 upgrade.
The project to make over the creek included restoring almost two kilometres of creek between Belgrave Lake Park and Bellbird Street.
The Mail reported how workers removed invasive weeds including tree tobacco, sweet pittosporum and willow, as well as planting 5000 natives.
Cr Dunn said the rubbish was particularly disheartening because of all the work that had gone into the upgrade.
She said someone had even dumped home renovation materials beside the creek.
“They tossed bits of their old deck next to the creek bank,” Cr Dunn said.
“There are plenty of other ways for people to get rid of their waste… they really don’t need to trash our environment,”
Cr Dunn said illegally dumped rubbish costs the shire more than $160,000 a year to get rid of and that it was about time residents took responsibility for their own trash.
People caught illegally dumping rubbish faced up to a $4700 fine for general litter or $7000 for items such as glass, metal, earthenware and crockery and up to one month imprisonment for both.
Cr Dunn said the only good thing to come out of the day was seeing the community get together to clean up the environment.
But she said the clean-up didn’t end there.
“After cleaning up and getting all the rubbish into a pile at the end of the day someone decided that they would leave a car door behind,” Cr Dunn said.
“In a moments’ breath from having a very clean environment we have then gone to more dumped rubbish to contend with.”
Have you seen rubbish dumped in your area? Report it to the Mail by calling Tania Martin on 9736 1044 or email tania.martin@yvnews.com.au