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ILLEGAL dumping of green waste and white goods in Duchess Road has become a major issue, according to Mount Isa’s Deputy Mayor Brett Peterson.
At the full council meeting on Wednesday, Cr Peterson moved that chief executive Emilio Cianetti create a report investigating ways the council could discourage illegal dumping.
He said within a month he has seen about five people travelling on the road to dump rubbish, and has recently caught one person dumping green waste near the dried river bed near Twenty-Third Avenue.
“We’ve really got to do something,” he said.
“Green waste is still dumping.”
Cr Peterson said perhaps there should be signs on each road from the city reminding dumpers that clean cardboards and green waste was free to dispose at the refuse tip.
But councillors Joyce McCulloch, Kim Coghlan and George Fortune were against the motion.
Cr McCulloch said illegal dumping was always going to be a problem.
“We’re never going to stop them unless local law officers see them,” she said. If councillors observed illegal dumping then they should report it to council staff.
She said the council should also keep up its current marketing campaign against the issue on Facebook.
“I just don’t think putting more signs up is going to help,” Cr McCulloch said.
Cr Coghlan said the council should liaison with local groups such as Neighbourhood Watch and Crime Stoppers, as well as Mount Isa Police.
She suggested that perhaps the council allow people to dump anything for free once every two to four months.
Dumpers were lazy and preferred to drive twice the distance to dispose rubbish illegally, rather than pay $5 at the refuse tip, Cr Coghlan said.
Mayor Tony McGrady urged councillors to support Cr Peterson’s motion.
If the council did not support it, then it “could be interpreted as not really caring about that issue.”