By NICOLE WILLIAMS
CARDINIA Shire Council has vowed to crack down on illegal dumping after a court battle over an incident in May.
A 24-year-old Pakenham woman appeared in court on 5 December to face charges of illegal dumping and was fined $1000 and ordered to pay council’s legal costs.
In May this year, the Pakenham Gazette published photographs of two people caught dumping a trailer-load of household rubbish on private property in McGregor Rd in Pakenham South.
Following their publication, one of the offenders came forward to accept responsibility and identify the other culprit.
Council’s Prosecutions Officer Owen Hardidge told the court the offender was apologetic, had fully co-operated with council and had also offered to reimburse council for the cost of the clean-up.
Magistrate Gerard Bryant labelled rubbish dumping a ‘selfish act’, and said he hoped the penalty imposed would send a clear message to the community that illegal dumping was not acceptable.
Mr Hardidge said Cardinia Shire was taking a hard stance on illegal dumping.
“It is a frustratingly common occurrence, and council will continue to track down perpetrators of this anti-social crime,” he said.
“We encourage residents to share information they may have on unlawful rubbish dumping.
“It is a practice that shows a great lack of consideration for others, and it won’t be tolerated in our shire.”
A resident of the property on McGregor Road where the rubbish was dumped on 30 March contacted council to report the dumping.
The resident, who did not want to be named, said rubbish had been dumped on his property for about 10 years.
Stills of footage captured on 30 March this year show a male and a female dumping packaging materials, including boxes and foam, at the front of the resident’s property.
Residents with information about illegal dumping are asked to contact council’s customer service team on 1300 787 624 or mail@cardinia.vic.gov.au, or submit a form via Council’s website www.cardinia.vic.gov.au
