More than 1,600 cases of illegal dumping were reported across the City of Gosnells in the past year, as residents call for action over rubbish being left on local verges.
The City received 1,603 reports between September 1, 2025 and September 1 this year, a figure it says is consistent with recent years.
Gosnells resident Deborah said she recently found rubbish, including mattresses, dumped on the verge of her corner property well before her scheduled bulk waste collection.
She said the rubbish had been placed on top of her mulch and narrowly missed a street tree.
With her collection not scheduled until early October, she was frustrated that someone else’s rubbish could remain outside her home for weeks.
“The street has become a home for patrolling scavengers that sort through and scatter the rubbish everywhere,” she said.
Deborah wants the city to consider providing skip bins to households as an alternative to the current verge collection system.
Another Gosnells resident, Ms Ruocco, said illegal dumping had become an ongoing problem along Astley Street.
She said items including fridges, washing machines and mattresses had been dumped in the area and raised concerns about children playing around discarded items.
“Our street is a village where we say hello to our neighbours every day and enjoy walks around the river vista,” Ms Ruocco said.
She has called for more monitoring of the area, including the use of cameras.
City of Gosnells chief executive Ian Cowie confirmed the city had received 15 reports of illegal dumping along Astley Street in the past 12 months.
He said most were referred to the Department of Housing because the land involved was the department’s responsibility.
Mr Cowie said illegally dumped material was generally removed within one to three weeks after being reported.
Where the affected land is the responsibility of the Department of Housing, removal usually takes between two and four weeks.
Residents are generally responsible for maintaining the verge next to their property, although Mr Cowie said the City may help remove illegally dumped material where appropriate.
The city has previously considered changing its bulk waste service to alternatives including household skip bins but decided to retain its current system.
A review undertaken in 2025-26 found moving to either a verge valet or skip-bin system could increase service costs by about 40 per cent, before the additional cost of changing or ending existing collection contracts.
Mr Cowie said the city was not aware of data showing whether skip bins or bulk rubbish collections reduced illegal dumping.
The city is instead improving information provided to residents to discourage people from putting rubbish on verges before scheduled collections.
It is also developing a Community Recycling and Education Centre, where residents will be able to drop off materials throughout the year.
The City plans to review its bulk junk collection service again after the centre is established.
