What’s behind the staggering rise in dumped rubbish reports across Victoria

The number of dumped rubbish incidents reported to Victorian councils skyrocketed by a staggering 42 per cent last year, compared to the year before.

Ratepayers across the state complained to councils almost 70,000 times about illegally dumped rubbish in 2021.

Danny Gorog, chief executive of Snap Send Solve – an app which allows people to send photos of issues directly to their council – says there are multiple reasons for the rise in dumped rubbish reports.

“I think people were out and about just trying to get a bit of exercise with the COVID lockdowns and probably noticed more dumped rubbish,” he told Ross and Russel.

“People were spending more time at home so they had more opportunity to clean out dumped rubbish.

“I think overall it is getting harder to get rid of rubbish. Tips are very expensive so people are kind of resorting to putting it out on the street.”

But Mr Gorog says most councils are quick to pick up rubbish once it’s reported to them via Snap Send Solve.

“About 75 per cent of our users say the dumped rubbish gets picked up by council in a very timely manner,” he said.

Press PLAY below to hear what’s fuelling the growth in dumped rubbish incidents