By DANE LILLINGSTONE
Council officers have announced they are to target people who illegally dump rubbish at unsupervised waste transfer stations.
The move comes as residents complain that no one is being held accountable for the unruly state of the region’s rural dumps.
Dalveen resident Greg Sweeney said his local dump was closed earlier this year and, like others, the council gave him keys to the transfer station at Thulimbah.
Under the council’s new arrangements, residents are allowed to dump items at Thulimbah on the understanding that they would only dispose of allowed items and that they would lock up after themselves.
However Mr Sweeney said that other users are not following the rules of what is allowed to be dumped and they are not closing the gates.
“I’ve seen engine parts, chassis parts, timber and literally the kitchen sink in these skip bins,” he said.
“I was talking to one of the other colleagues and JJ Richards turned up and dumped the bin in the back of his truck. When I came back 20 minutes later, the bins were empty but JJ Richards left the gate wide open.
“We’ve got a key. Nine times out of 10 you can drive past it and one or two gates are wide open.
“People are using their facilities with the keys and are too lazy to close the gate.
“The council said to me they put surveillance cameras out there but they got stolen. I find that a bit hard to believe.”
Southern Downs Regional Council’s Acting Director Planning and Environment Tim O’Brien said it was up to users to respect the facility.
“It is the responsibility of residents who use the Thulimbah Waste Transfer Station to close and lock the gate of the facility when they leave,” he said.
“In addition, the facilities are made available for domestic waste that fits within the bins only and not for larger household items or commercial, industrial or farming waste.
“The on-the-spot fines for an individual for illegal dumping are $1884 (less than 2500L of waste) or $2356 (more than 2500L of waste).
“The on-the-spot fine for littering is $235 for an individual.
“It is important to note the placement of waste on the ground at the facilities, and not in the bin, is considered illegal dumping, and a fine may be issued for this.
“Council has cameras available for use for monitoring illegal dumping, and are about to commence a program targeting the unsupervised waste transfer stations across the region.”
