By Tate Papworth
Derrimut residents say they have no faith in online reporting systems after illegally dumped rubbish has turned the side of Mt Derrimut road into a makeshift tip.
One resident said she reported the rubbish, dumped before the Western Freeway overpass on Mt Derrimut Road, but “nothing much happened”.
“It just kept getting worse and worse. At the beginning it looked like a hidden pile, but each time I drove past it got worse,” the resident said.
“Over a period of a few weeks it went from big black bags, then tyres, then children’s toys and even furniture dumped there.”
The resident said she reported the matter to the council but was told it wasn’t on council land. She then went to VicRoads, lodging a complaint both on the agency’s website and Facebook page, but has not had a reply.
Star Weekly contacted VicRoads last week and was told the site is under the jurisdiction of Major Road Projects Victoria.
After Star Weekly brought the problem to their attention, the Western Roads Upgrade team inspected the site and said the rubbish would be cleaned up this week.
Major Road Projects Victoria project director Frank De Santis said they would also repair damaged fences and investigate further security measures to limit public access.
“Our Western Roads Upgrade maintenance team regularly inspect roadside areas to keep them safe for all road users and will continue to do so over the next 20 years,” Mr De Santis said.
“Our maintenance team is cleaning up this site at Derrimut and investigating further security measures to avoid further instances.”
However the concerned resident said the system was too convoluted.
“The average person doesn’t know which agency is responsible for each piece of land,” she said.
“It means in most instances we’re not sure how to lodge a complaint. If we log something thinking it’s council land and it’s not, then the problem won’t be fixed.
“What’s the point in having the service if people don’t know who to tell?”
