Residents’ 300kg rubbish haul – metres from Australia’s ‘coolest’ street
A recent community clean-up removed about 300kg of dumped waste – including 40 discarded needles – just metres from a Brisbane street recently voted the “coolest” in the country.
It is home to the country’s “coolest” street and the location of Queensland’s renowned ballet and theatre companies.
But West End in Brisbane has become a dumping ground, residents say – taking to social media to show off “disgraceful” amounts of rubbish on the road.
A recent post to Facebook showed overflowing bins, milk crates, trolleys and a mattress piled up along Russell Street.
“This is a Tuesday morning,” the author captioned the post. “How sad that this is happening.”
Locals were quick to flood the comment section, with many agreeing the area was “becoming more disgusting and grimy”.
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“I’ve lived in 4101 for 44 years, and it’s infuriating to see how the area has deteriorated,” one person wrote.
“The stench of urine and garbage fills our main streets … Day by day, it’s becoming more disgusting and grimy.”
“To be honest I don’t go anywhere near that area anymore,” another commented. “I just don’t feel safe.”
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A Brisbane City Council spokesperson told InDaily “anti-social behaviour is a matter for the Queensland Police Service” but the security cameras had been installed to “strengthen safety”.
“We have strengthened safety in West End with the installation of 59 CCTV safety cameras, including 10 new Halo cameras installed last financial year through the State Government’s Secure Communities Partnership Program,” she said in a statement.
“Each Halo camera incorporates five cameras in one. We provide footage to Police when requested to support their investigations.”
She said a recent initiative supported by Queensland Police and residents collected a huge haul of rubbish from a local park.
“A recent clean-up at West End Community Park removed around 300kg of dumped waste and 40 discarded needles,” she said.
“That effort was recognised by residents in the same Facebook group.”
In November, nearby Montague Road beat destinations in New York, London, Paris and Rome when it was declared the sixth-coolest street in the world by Time Out magazine – one of just two Australian streets to make the list.
The magazine noted the presence of Queensland Ballet, Queensland Theatre Company, the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), the thriving food scene along the strip, wellness spaces and boutique shops.
It said Montague Road had “reinvented itself as the creative backbone of Brisbane’s most eclectic, free-spirited neighbourhood”.
The only other Australian street to make the list was Swan Street in Melbourne, which ranked 29 out of 31.
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