Rubbish rage

By Melissa Grant
BUSINESSPEOPLE in Pakenham’s Main Street are calling for people to stop dumping rubbish in their skip bins.
They say the extra trash is creating an eyesore in the customer car park and are fed up with having to pay for additional rubbish collections.
The site, behind Ritchies IGA, was once home to a Salvation Army bin but locals continue to discard clothes and other personal items there.
Owner of Café 127 Michelle Matthes said the businesses that owned the skip bins were being hit in the hip pocket.
“We pay for our rubbish to be collected and it’s not cheap and we get people dumping their rubbish not to mention the hygiene problem,” she said.
“I pay weekly for mine and I have to ring up and get another trip out, which is $30 or $40, for other people’s rubbish.”
The News yesterday visited the site and discovered a dozen or so full garbage bags dumped on the ground next to the four skip bins.
Messy Pawz owner Sue Day said she had found various personal items including clothes, letters and photos in and next to her bin.
“It’s mostly stuff that could go to an op-shop,” she said.
“It’s an eyesore, really.”
Ms Day said the positioning of the bins wasn’t ideal, not only because it was easy for people to dump rubbish there but also because of safety issues.
“You’ve got trucks doing 240-point turns trying to get the bins,” she said.
“I’ve had customers complain to me saying that it’s not safe.”
Mrs Matthes said a cage around their skip bins would alleviate the rubbish-dumping problem, while Ms Day said the council also needed to consider moving them further away towards the railway fence line.
“If the bins were placed along the fence it would be easier for trucks,” she said.