Illegal dumping slammed
IT IS always disappointing to see people – locals and visitors alike – treat the local environment like their own personal rubbish bin.
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This is certainly the situation when people brazenly toss litter from their cars along the highway or other roads rather than placing it in a bin at home, in town or at a roadside stop. Unfortunately, what we are now seeing in litter audits are a range of packaging from a number of fast food outlets and coffee cups, along with the usual drink containers.
But it was several instances of illegal dumping at roadside stops along the Western Highway that was really disturbing.
In the space of a day I noticed, at three separate locations, a washing machine, a mattress, a TV and a recliner chair.
All of these items were clearly no longer usable and should have been taken to a local council transfer station to be disposed of properly.
There will certainly be a cost to do that – but the cost of disposing of unwanted items is part of the cost of consumption.
While I appreciate there will always be calls for a council hard rubbish collection or other options, all of these options come at a cost to the whole community whether they choose to use that service or not.
I can also appreciate that not everyone may have access to an appropriate vehicle to get rid of large items and there are councils that have a booking service to deal with this situation.
It is clear, however, that if someone is able to drive several kilometres out of Horsham to dump a washing machine, they certainly have the capacity to take it to the transfer station.
It is important that people understand that here is a cost to dealing with waste and while people choose to flagrantly disrespect the both the laws and the local environment, it will continue to cost the whole community when those resources could be better spent elsewhere.
It might be a well worn phrase for litter and illegal dumping but all we ask is that that people “Do the right thing!”
PS I do have images of the illegal dumping as well.
La Vergne Lehmann, Horsham
Route debate continues
IF I collect the names of the individuals and authorities supporting Horsham bypass option D, and if in due course it is shown option D has impacted the floodplain and my home and property are ultimately flooded, are they the ones I sue?
Greg Huff, Riverside
Electricity price pain
DANIEL Andrews’ reckless policy to shut down the Hazelwood Power Station has made energy prices unaffordable for more Victorians – and people in Western Victoria are starting to feel the pain.
The latest report by the Essential Services Commission indicates about 168,700 Victorians on standard contracts will be forced to pay an extra $357 on their energy bills this year. If households have not changed their energy contract since 2002, they will be on standard contracts.
The Premier promised no increases beyond four to eight per cent, but small businesses are seeing hikes of about 30 per cent and households are also in double figures.
Between January and March this year more than 12,700 households had their power or gas disconnected – 2000 more than the previous quarter, being October to December 2016.
Why this Premier has such utter disregard for everyday Victorians is beyond me. Soaring electricity and gas prices are just part of the mess.
Cost of living pressures under the Andrews’ reign are skyrocketing – and what does Billion Dollar Dan do? He ups taxes further – with Victorians now paying another three new taxes from July 1.
Simon Ramsay, Member for Western Victoria