THE dumping of hard rubbish on nature strips offends tidy neighbours but is also a punishable offence.

Hillside Road residents in Mt Waverley have lived beside persistent nature strip litter in their otherwise tidy street for several years.

A resident said the house’s tenants had strewn furniture on the nature strip on several occasions in the past six months.

As a proud resident of the street for 55 years, she and her husband were disturbed by the litter.

“It does muck up the tone of the street.”

In the latest incident, an armchair and several chairs hanging in trees had been left on the strip for the past fortnight, but other dumpings had cluttered the street for up to a month at a time. Previous tenants had also left out items such as cots and children’s wardrobes in the past three years.

Mayor Paul Klisaris said illegal dumping of hard rubbish caused safety problems.

“Items dumped can block footpaths, damage property, cause traffic problems, visual pollution and end up as litter in our creeks and reserves.

“It also encourages other residents to engage in ‘herd behaviour’, dumping more rubbish on top.”

Monash Council, which was contacted by Hillside Road residents last week, has not yet had the need to issue a $215 penalty notice for illegal hard rubbish dumpers.

“In the past, we have successfully obtained the compliance of the owners of rubbish to remove it from the nature strip without the need to issue a penalty,” Cr Klisaris said.

Dumpers can be reported by phoning 9518 3690.