Walker flags national park littering issues

The illegal dumping of rubbish in the Tuart Forest National Park has again been flagged as a significant issue, with a visitor to the region this week finding a pile of rubbish from a child’s birthday party dumped in bushland.

Boyanup resident Dennis Moore regularly stays in Busselton and says he has, on multiple occasions, found rubbish dumped throughout the area.

Last week, Mr Moore was walking through the forest when he found items that appeared to be from a child’s birthday party.

“They were things that had obviously been gifted to a child, including a cubbyhouse and trampoline box, styrofoam and a number of birthday cards for a young girl,” he said.

A Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions spokeswoman said the agency was aware of the ongoing problem of illegal dumping in the forest and notedthere was a national park ranger assigned to the area who worked to investigate instances of illegal dumping.

“The removal of illegally dumped rubbish is a significant cost to the local district,” she said.

“Up to 100 staff hours have been spent removing illegally dumped rubbish in the district between 2016 and 2017.”

The maximum penalty for people who dump waste in bushland is $2000, with modified on-the-spot fines of $200.

Last year the department began installing cable fencing in an effort to control illegal access and dumping in the forest but was unable to provide any comments regarding the progression of the project since then.

Mr Moore said he had found trailer-loads of dumped rubbish and burnt-out cars.

“I often see patches of rubbish and it is very frustrating,” he said.

“It is a beautiful forest and I hate that people treat it like it is a rubbish dump.”

Mr Moore said it was up to people to do the right thing and dispose of their rubbish responsibly.