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26 MAY, 2026
Rubbish ‘eyesore’ By Jack O’Shea-Ayres A Truganina property owner claims years of illegal rubbish dumping along a busy road reserve has turned the area into an “eyesore”, with piles of rubbish continuing to build after Melton council ceased cleaning it up. Rodney Fleiszig, who owns land at 1264-1366 Boundary Road, said the corner of Boundary Road and Mt Atkinson Road has become a hotspot for dumped waste, with rubbish regularly discarded along the roadside. Mr Fleiszig said the problem had persisted for about five years, and included building waste, tyres, and general rubbish strewn across the area. “The road looks like a tip, there is garbage strewn everywhere, and I mean heavily everywhere,” Mr Fleiszig said.
The road looks like a tip, there is garbage strewn everywhere, and I mean heavily everywhere - Rodney Fleiszig “Eventually we’re going to get a rat infestation or something. There’s building materials, tyres, it just looks like an eyesore.” Mr Fleiszig said he had repeatedly contacted Melton council about the issue over several years and said council had previously organised clean-ups of the dumped rubbish. However, he claimed council had recently changed its position and was no longer willing to remove the waste. “I’ve been reporting this issue for the last five years,” he said. “Council had previously cleaned up the road for years, but they’ve recently started pushing back over the past two to three months saying it’s not an issue they can help with.” Mr Fleiszig said he was frustrated at the response, particularly given the ongoing development throughout the surrounding Mt Atkinson and Truganina growth corridors. He said the build-up of rubbish not only
Rodney Fleiszig at the Mt Atkinson Road with the illegally dumped rubbish. (Pictures: Damjan Janevski) 554110_06
affected the presentation of the area, but also created potential environmental and public health concerns. A Melton council spokesperson confi rmed council was aware of the ongoing illegal dumping on Mt Atkinson Road. “Mt Atkinson Road is currently at various stages of planning and construction and the roadside bordering 1264-1366 Boundary Road is currently private property,” the spokesperson said. However, Star Weekly understands the road is listed as a government road in titles provided to Mr Fleiszig. “I don’t understand the change in doing it for years to now not doing it now. I’ve been reporting this for quite a few years and I
haven’t had the push back from council until now.” The spokesperson explained council had been monitoring the site using surveillance cameras in an effort to identify offenders responsible for the dumping. The spokesperson also urged residents to report instances of illegal dumping through its website or customer service line, a process which Mr Fleiszig said got him nowhere. “There’s no other process to go through. There’s only one process to report illegally dumped rubbish,” Mr Fleiszig said. “I just hope it’s cleaned up and is
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maintained because it’s not acceptable.” Illegal dumping remains an ongoing issue across Melbourne’s outer growth suburbs, with councils and landowners often left dealing with the clean-up costs and environmental impacts associated with discarded waste. Under state law, penalties can apply for illegally dumping rubbish, including fi nes for individuals and businesses found responsible.
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