The opportunity shop attached to St Mark’s church in Dromana was the target of dumpers over Christmas. Dumping is a chronic problem for many op shops – the Good Sammy’s near me has signs up asking that donations be placed only in the bins provided. This request is routinely ignored. The volunteers at St Mark’s were likewise struggling to deal with a large accumulation of garbage bags outside their premises.
Some of these bags contained actual garbage. No kidding. Garden waste, to be precise. Go on, shake your head in disbelief. I did.
One anonymous soul in the neighbourhood took a more concrete response. With a message neatly lettered in purple on a piece of chipboard.
That’s the wording as best I recall. I’m 99% sure about the ‘absolute turd’ (complete with framing) – kind of sticks in the mind. Photos were taken but thanks to your fumble fingered correspondent – who didn’t install the spool properly – they are lost now forever.
While I was playing at pretend Richard Avedon a couple of the volunteers wandered over. They were a little uneasy, but since the sign’s author hadn’t outed themselves as a member of the congregation they agreed to let me continue. They quickly warmed to me in fact and seemed happy to have a sympathetic ear. I learnt that they had a very good idea about the grass dumper’s identity – but didn’t have the concrete evidence that they needed to bring in the police. Not all were so lucky. One gent pointed to a massive CRT television standing high among the bags of old clothes and busted toys. ‘That one,’ he said, ‘we know for sure.’
I mentioned council by laws on dumping. Indeed, the op shop had a council warning posted on their fence. Hefty fines for those caught transgressing. Responses from the volunteers didn’t suggest that the council had the walk to match the talk. ‘Reluctant to act’ or words to that effect. Worried about creating a poor impression of the area. Might scare off the tourist dollars perhaps.
And allowing your local slobs to litter the nature strip with refuse will pull the visitors in every time? Do we understand you correctly there, councillors?
The mind is an unexplored country. 
Greg
The human mind is often a well-known country; no sign will help some of them. You can’t change people against their own will; sad but true.
Do keep well.
Ike
On 1/24/14, The mind is an unexplored country.
By: Ike Jakson on January 24, 2014
at 9:09 PM
Check out the comment I posted below from the church, Ike. Your point is totally validated by the actions of that woman.
By: Gregoryno6 on January 28, 2014
at 5:30 AM
Thanks for this, Greg … I’m not sure who you are talking about, but I will endeavour to find out. Great post and I will pass on to those at St Mark’s.
By: Keryn Maddicks Rivett on January 27, 2014
at 8:44 AM
As they say, Keryn, hope this helps.
By: Gregoryno6 on January 27, 2014
at 9:02 AM
I’ve also received this message from the church:
“Thanks, Greg … great read and your sentiments are much appreciated. We had one woman who was caught leaving things and was told, very politely, that the kind of things she was trying to leave weren’t needed and we couldn’t take (electrical goods) – we went inside, came out and she’d driven off and left the goods anyway. People don’t care. I firmly think one of the issues we have here is that the Shire doesn’t have one of those hard collection days – I really think that would help.”
Call me old-fashioned, but this is one of those situations where a plague of boils would really come in handy.
By: Gregoryno6 on January 27, 2014
at 9:30 AM
Shire does do hard collection and I also think you can ring to organize. If you are a rate payer you can use your vouchers. Im not 100% but lets face it a simple phonecall to then is pretty simple to check though
By: cheryl on January 28, 2014
at 12:33 AM
The relevant page on the Council’s website doesn’t mention hard rubbish collections, unless I’m misreading something there.
By: Gregoryno6 on January 28, 2014
at 5:20 AM
I’ve been told in no uncertain terms that the Shire does have Hard Collection – I looked up our rates and got them on the phone this morning and we do, to a degree – 1 voucher equals ½ cubic metre of hard collection or green waste – and we are given 3 vouchers. After that it costs $61.82 per ½ cubic metre (how we pay the 2 cents is beyond me and beyond the humourless shire person I had on the phone) – anyway … we are certainly going to take advantage of this and get rid of the hard collection we have accumulated in our yard – should take 2 vouchers – however, the mattresses will remain because they cost 1 voucher per mattress. Now I’m not sure it’s enough for a household and it means you are basically going to have to choose to spend your vouchers on hard waste or green waste – we haven’t enough to spend it on both. When we talk about the Shire needing Hard Collection – we need that thing other Shires get where anything can go out, there are no restrictions and no space restrictions and it doesn’t cost you a cent and it happens twice a year … now THAT is a Hard Collection. As for Green Waste – 1½ cubic metres a year? Absolutely inadequate – the damn stuff keeps growing.
By: hermykins on January 28, 2014
at 9:57 AM
The Shire seems to have a very individual definition of Hard Rubbish Collection. My local council here in Perth allows three visits to the tip per year, or will provide a large skip bin. And no restrictions on what you can toss.
From the limits you’ve noted here I don’t think the Shire has updated its rubbish regulations for a couple of decades. They’re still operating as if the Peninsula was mostly rural and Dromana was a ghost town for nine months of the year. One mattress takes up voucher just by itself… boy oh boy.
By: Gregoryno6 on January 28, 2014
at 6:32 PM