The sight of overflowing rubbish bins at campsites is an all too familiar one to grey nomads … particularly in busy holiday periods.
One Victorian shire is once again addressing the issue by temporarily installing additional waste skip bins at a couple of popular areas.
With warmer weather and the Melbourne Cup weekend approaching, Campaspe Shire is expecting an influx of campers seeking to relax on the rivers and explore the region.
Director Sustainability Michael Sharp said the council would be installing additional waste skip bins at Echuca East Boat Ramp, Victoria Park, Torrumbarry Roadhouse and Gunbower Recreation Reserve from November 3-8 to cope with campers’ waste.
An aerial shot of the scenic Gunbower Recreation Reserve ... but camper rubbish can be a problem. PIC: Campaspe Shire
“Each year we prepare for busy times by placing skip bins in high activity areas for, traditionally, the campers in our area,” he said. “While we can’t wait to welcome all visitors to our area, the rubbish that can be left behind is unwelcome by both council and locals.”
Mr Sharp reiterated that the skips were only to be used for camper’s waste, not for residential waste.
“The skips will be closely monitored for any misuse,” he said. “Our contractors will be regularly emptying these bins, however, if the skip bin is full, we ask you – please do not place rubbish on the ground next to the bin.”
Mr Sharp said campers could take their rubbish to a Resource Recovery Centre where camping waste would be accepted free of charge.
Mr Sharp said that there was an added incentive this year to take camping waste offsite with the upcoming introduction of Victoria’s container deposit scheme.
“From November 1, campers will be rewarded with a 10-cent refund for every eligible can, carton and bottle they return,” he said.
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If you bring rubbish in then take it back with you. Years before we became caravanners, we went camping at Cape Palmerstone near Mackay, C.Qld, it involves a beach drive to get there (we don’t do that anymore). We had a ute tent and set it all up, looked around the campsite and found nappies, beer bottles and just about everything else hidden in the vegetation (and this was a National Park). The shoreline was not much better.
Seems to me that there is an equal movement the other way – no bins at all – and it is impossible to argue against a demand that if you can bring it in, you can damn well take it back home again.
I’ve seen rest areas with rubbish bins overflowing, don’t councils think that holiday seasons means more tourists, more tourists means more rubbish, more rubbish means you need bigger bins? Campaspe Shire has the right idea, let’s hope more councils follow suit
Every council wants more gray nomads visiting there patch but very few are willing to provide enough bins and empty them often enough for the increased numbers. Most gray nomads have a home base on which they pay council rates. When they are travelling they are not using that service but one in another shire who also have grey nomads on the road and not using their waste collection service. The same apply to water and sewerage services. “What comes around comes around”.
Well said!
Coming up for eight years of full-time travelling and have observed many, many instances of locals dumping their rubbish into bins provided for travellers. The bigger the bin, the bigger the rubbish. In a camp in Victoria, from memory, we watched as a couple of locals pulled up in a ute and proceeded to dump a fridge in the skip provided. Unbelievable.