Waste in NT bush hampers controlled burns for rangers, firefighters

Australia Broadcast Center

14 hours ago

Volunteer firefighters and Indigenous rangers in the Northern Territory say an unprecedented and "shocking" amount of illegally dumped fridges, couches, mattresses and tyres in the bush is complicating controlled burns.
While dumped waste has always been a problem, the workers say it has reached a new level in the Top End regional centre of Katherine.
Mr Slater's team has been responsible for hazard reduction burning on blocks of vacant Crown land.
"Our goal is to get a good, clear burn in this burning we do in town," he said.
The team spends hours on each burning day identifying rubbish in the bush and wetting it down, or building fire breaks around it.
Tyres emit columns of toxic black smoke when they catch and can burn for a long time.
"It's bad for the nature as well. We need to look after country [and] country will look after you."
Rod Usher, captain of the Katherine Volunteer Bushfire Brigade, said there was a "shocking amount of rubbish in the scrub", especially to the south of Katherine towards the Indigenous community of Binjari.
"In the last few years, it's escalated hugely. Markedly. It's getting to be a problem," Mr Usher said.
"We're trying to control fires and you come across gas cylinders, fridges, freezers — tyres are a big one."
Mr Usher said accidentally burnt mattresses were hard to spot in the bush and their internal wires became "the best vehicle traps".
"Getting a … mattress out from under your vehicle once it's all curled up and rolled around under the tailshaft and everything is not fun," he said.
While most residential rubbish is free to take to the tip in Katherine, items like couches, tyres and mattresses do come with individual charges.
Mr Usher said it was no coincidence these were also the items showing up in the bush.
"I understand why the dumps are charging and everything, but that's why people are dumping," Mr Usher said.
Regular passenger vehicle tyres are $35.10 each at the Katherine tip, so 26 tyres would cost $912.60 to dump.
Internet archives show the council was only charging $12 each for passenger tyres in 2020-21, or about $15 in today's money.
Katherine's outgoing Mayor Lis Clarke said the council's tip fees were reasonable and were constrained by limited recycling capabilities in the town.
Local government elections are being held across most of the NT later this month.