Council joins covert squad to help clean up the city

A YEAR after one young boy shamed Parramatta City Council into acting on its illegal dumping problem, another weapon has been added to their arsenal in the war on dumpers.

 

Last year, Rosehill resident Laith Jammal’s 11th birthday celebrations were ruined after illegal dumpers trashed his yard the night before his party.

 

‘‘It made me really sad and angry, because we had just made the house and garden all pretty for the party,’’ he said.

 

He wrote to the local papers as well as to the council.

 

Before Laith knew it, his story had become a rallying point for a city’s frustrations with dumping.

 

Last week, he was on hand to help lord mayor John Chedid announce a new step in the war on pollution.

 

The council has now joined the Regional Illegal Dumping (RID) Squad, a covert operation that conducts surveillance at dumping hot spots and investigates sites of illegal dumping, of both domestic and industrial waste.

 

Cr Chedid said the council would spend $52,000 for each year of its membership in the squad, which issued more than $250,000 in fines across western Sydney last year.

 

‘‘We want to send a clear message to the community that we are taking a good course of action to stop illegal dumping so people can be proud of their city,’’ Cr Chedid said.

 

Barry Ryan, the co-ordinator of the western Sydney RID Squad, said officers were constantly patrolling suburbs in a bid to catch dumpers.

 

‘‘We’re a proactive patrol, so as soon as we see dumping, we make enquiries to track down the dumper, make them remove their rubbish, saving councils the costs of removal, and issue fines of up to $5000,’’ he said.

 

Cr Chedid made the announcement at the intersection of Grand Avenue North and James Ruse Drive at Rosehill, a site formerly used as a truck stop.

 

It is covered with piles of illegally dumped rubbish that Cr Chedid said were ‘‘an embarrassment’’.

 

He said the council had no immediate solution for the site, especially as checking dumped materials on site for asbestos would push the costs of removal to more than $100,000.