Brisbane City Council has admitted it was a mistake to dump flood waste at an Acacia Ridge park.

Residents near Mortimer Road Park along with Moorooka ward councillor Steve Griffiths have complained about the piles of rubbish being dumped at the park close to homes.

City Standards Committee and Runcorn ward councillor Kim Marx told ABC Radio Brisbane the park was used from March 1 to 3 to dump flood waste, but once truck drivers flagged it was not a suitable location they stopped using it. 

The rubbish has since remained at the park, but others have been dumping household waste. 

"So yes, absolutely it was a mistake on our part that they went in there for the first couple of days, and then realised this was not a suitable location so we stopped using it," Ms Marx said.

"Obviously at that point it was too late and it amplified and multiplied into this illegal dumping.

"We've got officers now being redirected from the massive clean up for residents to remove all of that stuff that was put there, including obviously the illegal dumping as well."

Ms Marx said she would recommend local councillors be consulted before temporary tips were identified in her debrief with council staff. 

She said she was hopeful the rubbish at the Acacia Ridge park would be removed immediately.

Concerns about official dumping at Darra park

Darra residents near Monier Road Park have raised concerns about the smell and potential health and environmental implications of flood waste being dumped at the park, which will be in use until April 4.

Council notified residents the park would be used as a temporary tip, flagging it could cause traffic diversions, delays or detours, and noise and dust due to the increase in trucks and other vehicles. 

The notification said the council would rehabilitate the area once the flood recovery was finalised. 

Darra local Carlene Miller said she took her children to the park, to an area not near the waste, but they only stayed five minutes because of the stench.

Ms Miller said council workers were directing the trucks and traffic as a safety measure but felt it was still dangerous because of trucks queuing to dump rubbish.

She said she was concerned the fumes and waste could be a health hazard. 

Another resident who lived close to the park, who wanted to remain anonymous, said Darra community members had been involved in helping with the flood clean-up and they have a lot of sympathy for flood victims.

"We do want the waste to be moved quickly from the front of their homes. We’re just not sure why it’s being dumped behind our homes," the resident said. 

"I would have hoped the council could care about flood victims and care about other ratepayers and put it in a non-residential area.

"I'm concerned about the health implications of what we’re breathing."

A council spokesperson said the Darra site, which was used after the 2011 floods, among others, was critical to getting kerbside rubbish collected quickly. 

"While this council-owned site is used, residents can still access car parking, the BMX track, cricket oval and toilets," the spokesperson said.

"We thank residents for their patience as we recover from this flooding disaster."

The council set up nine temporary tips, not including the Acacia Ridge site, so trucks could dump flood waste to avoid travel times to transfer centres, to facilitate the waste pick up by other trucks that then took it to dumps. 

This week, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the 2022 floods had caused more debris than the floods in 2011 and 1974, and the temporary tips would allow workers to more efficiently remove waste from the kerbside. 

SOURCE: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-12/brisbane-council-admits-mistake-flood-waste-dumped-at-park/100903574