NORTH-west residents are using a vacant block next to a charity store as an illegal dumping ground.
The lot beside the Salvation Army’s Deer Park store is littered with rubbish, furniture, torn mattresses, smashed televisions and bags of odorous household waste.
Dzafer Dzaferovski, who lives directly opposite the site, said he was disgusted by the state of the land.
“It’s just appalling; it has become an eyesore because people are using it as a landfill so they don’t have to pay someone to pick up their rubbish,” he said.
Mr Dzaferovski said Melton Council last year placed large rocks outside half of the land to stop cars from driving onto the site. But the other side of the lot remains open. The site is only metres from houses and restaurants.
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said she had seen youths picking up smashed televisions and electrical goods and placing them in front of oncoming traffic.
“It’s dangerous and having an open site like that encourages young people to hang around there at night,” she said.
“A few times there has been rubbish thrown all over the road, so myself and other residents have to go onto the road and pick it up before somebody drives over it.”
Salvation Army sustainability manager Donald Munro said the charity spent $10,000 last year on a perimeter fence to stop illegal dumping as waste removal costs increased to $60,000 a year.
“Last year it really went beyond useful donations so we put a fence around the store to try to stop it happening while the store was closed. It stopped unwanted items being dropped at the store but began the trend of people dumping items at the [neighbouring] site.
“Although the vacant lot is not owned by the Salvation Army it continues to affect business at the store … people are starting to associate the store with the rubbish dump next door.”
Melton Council’s operations general manager Greg Wood said the owner of the neighbouring property had been ordered to clean it up.
“Council’s litter education and enforcement officer has met with representatives from the various properties at this location to discuss initiatives to address illegal dumping in the area,” he said.
