Reports in the Mercury recently about the problem of illegal dumping in the Maitland area have provoked strong reactions on social media.
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Articles about the issue attracted more than 100 comments last week.
Many people rightly condemned the act of tossing large pieces of rubbish onto a public space and leaving it for someone else to clean up.
But many also blamed the problem on the perceived high cost of taking that rubbish to the city’s tip and the lack of kerbside pick-ups in Maitland.
One Mercury reader explained that lower tip fees and a kerbside pick-up had worked wonders in Coffs Harbour.
During a quick drive around the Maitland area on Sunday morning, reporter Perry Duffin found a soiled mattress by the road side in Metford and a large, stripped fish carcass by the side of the road near the Melville Ford Bridge.
It appears that these are only two of many instances across the suburbs of Maitland.
It’s hard to know for sure whether a reduction in the cost of disposing of waste at the council tip would reduce instances of illegal dumping.
While it could be true that tip fees are among the reasons for the illegal dumping problem, it’s certainly not an excuse for the behaviour.
Maitland City Council is developing plans to improve its waste services as its Mount Vincent Waste Management Centre edges closer towards its landfill capacity.
On top of this, council organises several days throughout the year during which residents in the local government area can legally dump their mattresses or chemical drums for free.
Maitland LGA residents also get a voucher each year that they can exchange at the tip to dump a load of rubbish for free.
But regardless of how reasonable council fees are considered, it’s not OK to take your garbage and dump it in a public place, where it’s either an eyesore or someone else’s problem.
Aside from the environmental damage and the extra resources that need to be enlisted to clean up loads of garbage that are illegally dumped, there’s a pride factor.
It would be hard to blame any visitor to the region who reels in disgust when they are taking a leisurely country drive and spot a large rotting fish or a dirty mattress next to the road.
