Unsightly piles of rubbish dumped alongside the railway line at Sunshine have raised the ire of residents.
One local, who didn’t want to be named, described the state of the rail reserve at Judge Street as an “absolutely disgusting eyesore”.
“It’s just filthy and it’s been getting worse over the past few months,” he said.
“One person started it, and others have just kept dumping their stuff there. We can’t have people dumping their rubbish; it’s wrong and disgusting.”
A large plastic hamburger display and a deserted skip litter the vacant land, as does other hard waste.
A V/Line spokeswoman acknowledged the resident’s frustration and said the site was being investigated.
“We’ve been trying to track down the owner of the skip and have spoken to All Vic Bin Hire, which has said the bin does not belong to them,” the spokeswoman said.
“We’re now in the process of getting quotes for the rubbish removal, and early indications show it will cost more than $11,000 to clear the site.”
“V/Line is also investigating the possibility of installing fencing … but, again, this comes at a cost to the taxpayer.”
“I’m not asking for much – I just want it cleaned up and for someone to maintain it,” the resident said.
“I’m sure if my front yard looked like that, my neighbour wouldn’t appreciate it.”
The V/Line spokeswoman said illegal dumping was a significant issue across its network, costing tens of thousands of dollars every year to clean up.
“Our rail reserves are not a public dumping ground,” she said.
“We seek community help in reporting offenders.
“V/Line has been in contact with the Environment Protection Authority, and the public is also urged to help by reporting any illegal dumping to the EPA,” she said.
Report illegal dumping to EPA Victoria on 1300 372 842.
