Linda’s down in the dumps

By Elizabeth Lillis
SMALL business owner Linda Hunt is tired of people dumping household rubbish in her business’s bulk bins.
The owner of Café 127 in Pakenham said she was annoyed people were blatantly using her business’ bins located behind her business on Main St to dispose of materials that were clearly their responsibility.
She has marked the bins with a sign indicating they are not for household rubbish, but people are just ignoring it.
Last week, part of an air-conditioner was left by the bin.
Clothing and household rubbish and garden waste have all been either dumped in or by the bins in recent months.
“It is irresponsible and inconsiderate. I’m just a small business owner not a large company,’’ she said.
Mrs Hunt said it cost her business $200 a week to have the bin emptied by an environmental services company.
Mrs Hunt said she often put the rubbish dumped into the bins simply to keep the area tidy.
She said people seemed to think it was OK to dump household rubbish particularly if they saw other rubbish was already sitting by the bins.
Mrs Hunt said early this week she opened the bin for an hour so staff could put rubbish in. But, in this short time 10 bags of other people’s rubbish were deposited in the bin.
“The bins don’t even look like clothing bins but people still leave clothes by the bins, when they could easily source a clothing bin,’’ she said.
Mrs Hunt said eight bags of rubbish which were left near the bin in December had blown open and she had cleaned-up the mess.
“At night animals got into the rubbish and it was everywhere,’’ she said.
Mrs Hunt said she even found papers with people’s names in the rubbish, as she cleared up, potentially identifying the rubbish dumpers.
Much of the dumping, Mrs Hunt believes, happens after hours but she has taken people to task as they were in the process of leaving the rubbish during the day.
Mrs Hunt said she intends setting up a meeting with Cardinia Shire Council to discuss what can be done to stop the dumping.
Litterers can be issued with an on-the-spot fine of $215.
Council spokesman Doug Evans said council did take the matter seriously and prosecutions could result in fines of up to $4500.
“If we can identify the people (littering) we will take up the issue and fine or prosecute depending on the circumstances,’’ Mr Evans said.