By NOEL MURPHY
HIGH tip fees and op shop charges could be behind a rubbish dumping spate at environmentally-sensitive Ocean Grove Spit, coast managers fear.
Barwon Coast Committee of Management spokesperson Maddie Glynn said mattresses, furniture, timber and various office, trade and household waste was threatening the spit’s flora and fauna and adding unnecessary expense to the committee’s operations
“My gut feeling is two-part. One is they don’t want to pay the price to dump things like mattresses, which are $10 or $15 each now because they recycle them,” she said.
“The other is I think people are cleaning out their homes during the colder weather but I just don’t get the mentality.”
Ms Glynn said at least one repeat offender was evident from the type of rubbish dump at the spit.
“I think maybe it’s a tradie who cleans out his ute with about a month’s supply of takeaways, empty stubbies, multiple bags-worth of rubbish – food bits, ATM receipts – all in one spot but not in bags.”
Ms Glynn said details such as bill receipts were passed on to authorities and police had appealed to the public to dob in dumpers by phoning 000.
The rubbish threatened the spit’s environment and native animals as well as human health, she said.
Bellarine Police Senior Sergeant Angelo Ferrara urged the public to report anyone acting suspiciously around the spit.
“It would help our investigation greatly if registration numbers of vehicles, full descriptions of persons involved and locations can be obtained and passed onto the 000 operators immediately.”
