Aerial photo exposes 'appalling' act in Aussie bush attracting a $2,500 fine
Aerial shots of a black line snaking along a bush track near a major Aussie city show the extent of a recent illegal oil dumping, with hundreds of litres of the thick, black substance left to simply saturate the ground and contaminate waterways.
Townsville local Dave Dudley leads Tidy Up Townsville, a charity tirelessly trying to clean up the city. He told Yahoo News he spends most days responding to dumping calls, but last week's incident near Saunders Beach was particularly "appalling".
"Someone had contacted me about the dumping out there so I went and had a look. We think the people that dumped it got bogged from all the oil on the back of the vehicle because there was so much extra weight," he told Yahoo. "It was pretty disgusting... it absolutely stank. Why would someone do that?"
Footage captured by Dave shows the ground completely sodden with oil.
"Some parts are just chockablock with oil and it extends from up here, at the start of this mangrove, then goes all the way down here to that mangrove," Dave can be heard saying in a video, before dipping his finger in the oil and showing it to the camera covered in a black, thick film.
Dave reported the incident to Townsville council, who confirmed to Yahoo News the oil was so far-reaching it spread across council-land and private owned land.
"This illegal behaviour has an impact on our environment, and ultimately it has an impact on the ratepayer," Councillor Brodie Phillips told Yahoo News. "Council officers actively patrol known illegal dumping sites and can issue fines of more than $2500."
The council confirmed it had contacted the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) due to the "nature of the spill and its proximity to nearby waterways" and the department has launched an investigation. It is not known who is behind the act.
DETSI are calling for the public to come forward with information on the incident and confirmed the private landowner has started to clean up the oil, with soil having to be removed from the area.
"We encourage anyone with information about this incident to report it to the Pollution Hotline on 1300 130 372," a DETSI spokesperson said.
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There continues to be a steady stream of litter and discarded items being found across Townsville, with furniture, tyres, shopping trolleys and even unopened bags of chips and drink cans often strewn across known hotspots.
Tidy Up Townsville volunteers and council officers continue to patrol the area, but it seems they are fighting a losing battle. "It's just getting worse," Dave told Yahoo.
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