November 26, 2012
Federal Member for Gippsland has urged local residents to be vigilant about illegal dumping after recovering two trailer loads of rubbish from the banks of the Mitchell River on Sunday.
Mr Chester and State MP Tim Bull led a small team of volunteers to help clean up the river banks ahead of the peak Christmas holiday season.
“I was appalled that some of the rubbish had clearly been dumped by people seeking to avoid tip fees,” Mr Chester said.
“In one section we recovered an old lounge suite, garden clippings and other household refuse which had been illegally dumped. I would urge anyone who notices suspicious activity along the river or in our State parks to report the details to police.”
In addition to household rubbish, Mr Chester said the volunteers had collected a large amount of plastic bottles, alcohol containers and fishing-related refuse.
“There’s a small element of the recreational angling community who don’t respect our waterways and treat the rivers as their personal rubbish tip,” Mr Chester said.
“It’s disappointing that we have to organise such a clean-up day but pleasing that we were able to remove such a large amount of rubbish from the environment.”