How would you like a load of rubbish dumped on your front lawn and then to pick up the cost of removing the pile?
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It’s not a very attractive proposition. Boiled down to its basics, this is what local charity Mission Australia, and no doubt others, face on a regular basis.
There can be no excuse for such wanton defacement. People are not doing these charities a favour and they well know it, with items such as cars, soiled clothing, broken furniture and unusable electrical items dumped beside the charity bins.
That Mission Australia has had to fork out about $3000 in tip fees since December to dispose of this rubbish is a travesty. It’s money that could be better used elsewhere. Likewise, money allocated to install security cameras could be diverted to worthier causes.
Charities are already stretched to the limit in cities like Goulburn where Anglicare reports a shortage of affordable housing and heavy reliance on social welfare. They are mostly dependent on volunteers and every dollar counts.
The council is reluctant to grant relief from waste fees for fear of setting a precedent. And really, why should it do so? It may be helping the charity but it is only encouraging further dumping.
It’s precisely what it wants to deter, as evidenced by last year’s decision to abandon the free Spring Clean-Up. Unsightly piles containing items that could not be disposed of remained on kerbs for months.
As always, personal responsibility and a bit of consideration for others go a long way. We do not need grubs in this community.
Saint Clair effort
On the polar opposite of the spectrum sit the members of Goulburn and District Historical Society.
Volunteers have devoted hundreds of hours to relocate the vast Saint Clair collection in preparation for the historic villa’s restoration.
The council has chipped in, paying removalist fees, but mostly volunteers have taken upon the massive task themselves, archiving and itemising documents and photos along the way.
They have also been enterprising – approaching a nearby business to house a temporary presence.
It’s an upheaval but in a year’s time the results will be worthwhile. In contrast to 2014, the council is firmly behind this historic gem’s conservation.