UNHAPPY: Elizabeth Trevor-Jones with children Thomas and Emma can no longer just go out and play, they have to pick up the rubbish first. The discarded sharps container is against the fence.
FOR over 10 years highway travellers have been stopping at a small rest stop just out of Lithgow (before the 100 kilometre zone) on their way to destinations in the west.
During this time there has always been a sulo bin for people to put their rubbish in and many a traveller took the opportunity to keep Australia beautiful and use it.
Now it is gone.
The travellers have not disappeared however and still use this stop regularly.
Some people have still decided to dump their rubbish and now the spot has become not only unsightly but a hazard to the family whose property runs parallel to the rest area.
The Trevor-Jones’ have never had a problem with the rubbish when the bin was in place but since its removal they have had numerous things thrown over their fence and have to spend their time roaming their driveway so their young children do not pick things up they shouldn’t.
“It has gone beyond a few pieces of paper,” property owner Elizabeth Trevor-Jones said.
“We have been removing things such as tyres and now there is even a sharps disposal container lying on the property fence line.
“I would hate one of my children to pick up something that could hurt them.
“When the bin was there we never had a problem.”
Now it seems it’s a bin with an identity problem; no one wants to admit to ownership.
Mrs Trevor-Jones contacted council who referred her to the Roads and Maritime office (RMS) saying it was their responsibility.
When the Mercury contacted the RMS a spokesman claimed the rest spot and bin are council’s responsibility.
But council’s parks and gardens manager, Terry Nolan, said council staff have never emptied the bin in that particular spot because it fell under the RMS and as far as council was aware the RMS have always maintained that site.
“Council has never done anything at that site,” Mr Nolan said.
So the plot thickened, as did the pile of rubbish before the Trevor-Joneses got on the job.
“We do not have the authority to put rest stops in along the highway and it is all directed from the RMS and their crews,” Mr Nolan said.
“I have instructed a council crew to clean up the site as I believe it to be a bad reflection on Lithgow however we can’t take responsibility for something that is out of our jurisdiction.”
At the time of going to print the RMS are still not claiming the missing bin is their responsibility.
Another bin that has never been emptied by the council has also gone missing.
This one was just down from the bus shelter on the Great Western Highway opposite McDonalds and disappeared around the same time as the other one about three weeks ago.