Residents living in one of the country’s busiest local government areas are lashing out over what’s been described as a spike in waste buildup on city streets. Photos from iconic Sydney suburbs, including Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Woolloomooloo, show some areas totally clogged with illegally dumped rubbish.
A local resident tore into the City of Sydney council last week, asking if there were any plans to “increase street cleaning” amid a reported rise in overflowing bins in Surry Hills.
“The new garden beds on Crown Street have more litter in them than actual plants,” they claimed.
“The rat population is skyrocketing.”
Speaking to Yahoo, Nathaly Haeren from Pesty Girls Pest Management said the issue remains a big concern for residents.
An enormous pile of household waste on Cathedral Street in Woolloomooloo, Sydney. Source: Nicky Williamson
“Illegal dumping can cause quite an issue with rodents,” she warned.
“This attracts the rodents as they’re seeking shelter, food, water and nesting materials.”
She said the number of callouts she attends across the city is “rather high”.
“Rodents are also becoming more brazen. Lots more sightings of them in broad daylight,” she said.
In Woolloomooloo, an enormous pile of garbage was photographed on Cathedral Street, opposite the Old Fitzroy Hotel, at the weekend.
“Not sure why it was just left on the pavement rather than being removed appropriately,” a confused resident asked on social media.
Other images taken by Yahoo News Australia from the surrounding suburbs show piles of waste dumped outside numerous nearby homes and overflowing bins outside homes and businesses.
Commercial bins, pictured in Surry Hills, are the responsibility of business owners to maintain. Source: Facebook
Responding, some locals argued that while it’s “fair to criticise council often”, these examples simply highlight “bad human behaviour”.
“I can’t believe people put more garbage into an overflowing bin,” a woman said.
Another local called for a formal review of street hygiene and rubbish collection across the area’s main entertainment strip, arguing conditions have deteriorated to an unacceptable level.
Residents say mess like this in Darlinghurst attracts vermin. Source: Yahoo News Australia Messy bins in Darlinghurst.
Dumped household waste in Darlinghurst. Source: Yahoo News Australia Dumped household waste in Darlinghurst.
They said key streets — including Crown, Oxford, Foster and Holt — are increasingly dirty, plagued by rats and fast becoming a public health concern.
A spokesperson for the City said that although “illegal dump collections tend to be higher in the summer months”, it hadn’t “seen any evidence of an increase in complaints” in recent months.
City of Sydney urges residents to help stop illegal dumping
Council told Yahoo News that the City is responsible for residential waste collection and bins in the public domain.
But commercial bins, for example, those attached to businesses, are up to the owners themselves to maintain.
Concerning the Woolloomooloo pile of garbage, the spokesperson said a City contractor responded to a booked clean-up collection and removed all compliant waste; however, it “did contain a large amount of non-compliant items”.
“To ensure public health and safety in Woolloomooloo, the City of Sydney deployed a team to remove the remaining non-compliant items and clean the footpath, which was completed today, Monday 16 February,” they said.
“We continue to urge the community to raise any issues regarding waste in our area directly with us.”
They said street cleaning teams are out every day of the week, collecting rubbish and cleaning footpaths and streets of rubbish and organic materials.
“These teams also conduct regular patrols across key areas, including Surry Hills and Potts Point, as well as other identified locations, to monitor and collect items that require prompt attention,” they said.
The spokesperson said council staff regularly assess collection schedules and monitor illegal dumping across the area so “we can address streets that require changes to collection frequencies” of street litter bins, bulky waste and illegal dumps.
Overflowing bins in Surry Hills. Source: Facebook
Yahoo understands that many of the sites pictured have since been cleaned up by the council.
“We thank the public for reporting these issues to us,” the spokesperson said.
“When we receive these reports from the community, it allows us to respond quickly to keep our streets looking their best.”
Residents are encouraged to book a free weekly kerbside bulky pick-up service for large household items, furniture, mattresses, whitegoods and e-waste.
In addition, the City provides a doorstep recycling service for the collection of other “tricky-to-recycle items such as clothes, batteries and polystyrene”.
“We’ll continue working with the community to identify areas that can sometimes have increased levels of illegal dumping so we can actively monitor those sites,” the spokesperson added.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.