By Callum Ludwig
Upper Yarra residents are becoming infuriated at the amount of rubbish strewn throughout the beautiful Warburton Valley.
Tourist attractions and events are seemingly a major cause of rubbish being left behind, with the snowfall on Mt Donna Buang a recent example.
Hoddles Creek resident Margit Rossi said she saw a Parks Victoria worker picking up rubbish for a whole day and still unable to get it all.
“He had six or eight big bags plus a ute full of other bigger bits and pieces even including broken toboggans left in the snow,” she said.
“Residents have not been happy, there have been lots of complaints about them and it’s the same everywhere, it’s the same with the Redwood Forest.”
Queen’s Birthday Weekend saw a huge influx of visitors to the area as snow cover was significant on Mt Donna Buang. There were so many visitors that a one-up, one-down system was in place for parking as early as 8.30am.
Ms Rossi said she wonders what people think happens to the rubbish they leave in the area.
“Do they think somebody goes there to pick up their stuff every day? Then the next time they come, they complain about the rubbish,” she said.
“Tourists are good, and good for business, they are not just the problem. I think people, in general, are leaving their rubbish and of course, if you have a huge amount of people going all in one place, you find an overwhelming amount of stuff.”
There are currently little to no bins in areas like Mt Donna Buang and the Redwood Forest as they attract wildlife to them, which threatens the native ecosystem and could increase the rubbish problem.
A Clean Up Warby Day was held this year which pulled out about six and a half tonnes of rubbish, including 73 tires from areas like Old Warburton and the Redwood Forest.
