A Mount Isa business has been caught up in the continuing saga of illegal rubbish dumping around the region.
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Two garbage bags of rubbish and unopened food packages were found 19 kilometres east of Mount Isa on the Lake Julius Road as well as evidence that suggests the waste belongs to a Mount Isa grocer.
Two separate travellers passing along the Lake Julius Road on Sunday, November 5 identified the rubbish and discovered delivery dockets linking the rubbish to a Mount Isa business.
Both drivers said they were disgusted to see rubbish scattered along the side of the road and being blown onto a nearby property; and have since reported the illegal rubbish dumping to Mount Isa City Council.
The North West Star approached the business and shared the photos with manager, who did not deny that it was his rubbish.
“I organised a person with a ute to take our rubbish away,” he said.
“It was my mistake, I should have given clearer instructions to him to dump it in the local waste facility but he has just put it anywhere.”
After owning the business for the last year and a half, the manager said he was not aware that Mount Isa City Council provided residents with free waste facility passes each year.
“No I did not know that, but I have contacted a local waste management services to supply additional bins for our business, so I do not need someone else to take our rubbish away.”
Mayor Joyce McCulloch said illegal dumping of rubbish was a problem council took very seriously.
“Individuals dumping rubbish can be fined up to $2438, and up to $9142 for commercial business, with cases of aggravated littering dealt with in the Magistrates Court,” Cr McCulloch said.
“Every household is entitled to six free visits to the refuse facility per year. Even if you have used up your free visits, our tip fees are among the lowest in the state so there’s really no excuse for illegal dumping.”
Mount Isa City Council are cracking down on illegal dumping of rubbish and asked locals to report all sightings of illegal dumping on the council’s website.
UPDATE: Wednesday November 8: The Mount Isa business has since returned to the area and collected the rubbish and taken it to the Mount Isa City Council waste facility.
The store manager said, “After getting the address of the dumped rubbish, I took that initiative and showed social responsibility, by going to the place picked all the dump thrown on road into my car and took it back to Mount Isa dump yard.”