Topic: Recycling and Waste Management
Crews have been working to remove rubbish as the fence is completed. ( Facebook: Meng Heang Tak MP )
A roadside truck parking bay in Melbourne's south-east has been closed and a fence constructed, in a bid to prevent ongoing cases of illegal dumping.
The peak body for Victorian truck drivers says it was not consulted and that drivers no longer have a safe place to pull over and park in the area.
The state government says very few trucks use the Clayton South parking bay and alternative options are available.
A truck parking bay that became a hotspot for rubbish dumping in Melbourne's south-east has been closed and fenced off by the state government.
The bay off Westall Road in Clayton South has been plagued by illegal dumping, with the state government and local council at loggerheads over who is responsible for cleaning it up.
Local state MP Meng Heang Tak announced earlier this month that fencing would be installed around the parking bay so dumped rubbish could be removed and disposed of safely.
"We have heard the Clayton South community and we're funding clean-up works to fix this issue," he said.
However just days after the fence was completed, rubbish had already been dumped outside it.
A fence has been installed around the Westall Road parking bay in Clayton South ( Facebook: Meng Heang Tak MP )
The Victorian Transport Association, a peak body for freight operators, said truck drivers had not been consulted on the closure.
Chief executive Peter Anderson said drivers had been left without a safe place to pull over and park in the area.
"These designated rest areas are really important for those drivers that drive from one side of the city to the other," he said.
Residents said the Westall Road truck parking bay was unusable due to the mountains of rubbish piled up. ( Facebook: Russ Porteous )
Anthony Axarlis is a tipper driver for Heidelberg Materials, a construction material supplier with a facility across the road from the parking bay.
He said drivers of B-double trucks, which pull two semi-trailers, used the parking bay to split their load.
"What they have to do is leave their trailer one at a time and take it in (due to the difficulty of navigating narrow driveways)," he said.
"They're going to have dramas finding a spot where to leave their trailer."
Member for Clarinda Meng Heang Tak says the fence is being installed to resolve ongoing issues of illegal dumping. ( Facebook: Meng Heang Tak MP )
A state government spokesperson said very few trucks used the parking bay due to the illegally dumped rubbish.
They said heavy vehicles could park on the opposite side of the road or a parking bay on South Road — seven kilometres west of Westall Road.
Mr Axarlis said the service road opposite only held three to four trucks and smaller vehicles also often parked there, causing issues when truck drivers unloaded their goods.
On one occasion, Mr Axarlis parked his truck's rear trailer on the service road while unloading the front trailer.
"By the time I came back some car has parked in front of my trailer and I have to wait 'til they come back so I can hook up," he said.
Local residents reported illegal dumping outside the fence days after it was constructed. ( Facebook: Daryll Morgan )
Last October, the state government announced an illegal dumping taskforce to investigate and prosecute illegal dumpers, overseen by the state's Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
The EPA said it was partnering with councils to identify and respond to illegal dumping hotspots across Victoria.
That includes a campaign targeting known dumping sites in the cities of Wyndham, Hume, Banyule, Melton and Greater Geelong.
Some $8.5 million in rebates were also provided to support councils clean up illegally dumped waste, which the Municipal Association of Victoria has previously said is not enough support to local authorities .
