Visitors and residents are fed up with the derelict state of a walking track near the Moe-Yallourn Rail Trail which is portraying the town as a “dump”, Make Moe Glow president Marilyn May says.
Tyres, general household waste, food packaging and even a car door have been dumped along the section of land between Bennet Street and the service road into the old Moe cement works off Narracan Drive.
Ms May said the parcel of land had been used as a dumping ground for more than 12 months and called on Latrobe City Council to clean up the waste.
“Given that locals and visitors alike who stay at the [nearby] motel use that track to access the town centre and the rail trail, it’s portraying Moe in a very negative light.
“Council aren’t doing enough to look after these sites – it needs to be checked on a regular basis to ensure that it’s clean. It’s absolutely disgusting, I couldn’t believe it.”
Ms May said she had spoken to council on several occasions over recent months but claimed not much had been done to deter people from dumping waste on the site.
“We contacted council last year about this issue and the only response I got was from two bylaws officers and somebody from the depot at Morwell who didn’t know where the [site] was,” Ms May said.
“They did go in but all they did was pick up the larger amounts of rubbish, like two big plastic bags and a bit of timber – that’s all they did.”
Another resident, Nellie Foster, 76, said she walked the track every day and had noticed an increase in waste over time.
“All of a sudden there was a mattress and a car door and somebody dumped a trailer-load of rubbish there two weeks ago,” Ms Foster said.
“I love Moe and I don’t like anybody putting it down but I think council need to come and have a look around the place for god’s sake, check things out, and remove the rubbish where necessary.
“It’s not a good look for the town and a lot of people go along this section of road. We are struggling as it is, let alone to have garbage like that.”
Latrobe City chief executive Gary Van Driel said council had earmarked the embankment near the Moe-Yallourn railway bridge as a hotspot, having previously removed seven bags of litter.
“If rubbish is reported to us, we can attend to the clean-up of that site. This particular site is now identified as a hotspot that will be patrolled on a weekly basis,” Mr Van Driel said.
“Sadly, much of the rubbish left here is personal litter – chip bags, wrappers, bottles, rather than wholesale dumping.
“Council takes a dim view of rubbish dumping and general littering. There is no excuse. It’s not just the unsightly mess and damage to the environment, it’s the cost to ratepayers for the clean-up.”
He said council would continue patrols of the area.
People can report rubbish by phoning Latrobe City Council on 1300 367 700 or by using the Snap Send Solve app.
