FEBRUARY 21, 2017 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
(Shawn Smits)
Garlic show ready to go In the 1990s, Australia was flooded with cheap, bleached garlic from China, and many local growers were priced out of the market. But growing demand for locally grown produce has led to a revival of Australia’s garlic industry. Keilor farmer Paul Miragliotta grows organic garlic at his property, Day’s Walk Farm, on the banks of the Maribyrnong River. Three years ago he began teaching novice farmers how to nurture a healthy crop of garlic – from its seeding until its harvest – which takes about eight months all up. To celebrate their most recent harvest, Mr Miragliotta’s farmer incubator program members will host a Garlic Fiesta this Friday night to raise money, spread the word and celebrate the young people who are passionate about becoming Australia’s next generation of farmers. There’ll be live music, beer and wine. All food will be made using produce grown at Day’s Walk Farm at Keilor while the Garlic Fiesta itself is from 6-11pm at Seeds Communal Garden, 331 Albert Street, Brunswick. $25. Go online for more information and ticket sales http:// bit.ly/2gkjyLB. DAY’S WALK FARM SITE FACILITATOR IVAN BLACKET
Alexandra Laskie
Clean-up bill piles up By Alexandra Laskie A Brimbank business has coughed up more than $50,000 cleaning up illegally dumped rubbish in less than a year. FCG Property says it frequently sends pick-up trucks to its Albanvale project Brimbank Waters to collect household and industrial waste that people dump at the site. FCG development director John Griffin said the company “can’t keep a handle” on rubbish dumping. “This is a big headache for us – it’s got out of hand,” he said.
He said that just before Christmas someone threw asbestos sheets on to the site, leaving FCG with a $5000 clean-up bill. Around the same time, an FCG tradesman found a house under construction littered with used syringes and someone passed out on the floor. Mr Griffin said that once each stage of the development was completed, the land was handed over to Brimbank council, which has shared the burden of rubbish collection. “We’ve spent a hell of a lot,” he said. “In all [last year] we would have spent in excess of $50,000. This place has been a well.” Brimbank city development director Stuart
Menzies said the council had investigated dumping at the Albanvale site and had collected evidence to help track down and fine some of the culprits. “A number of offenders have been identified and are being made to clean-up their own rubbish, rather than this be at the cost of ratepayers,” he said. Illegal rubbish dumping is a major problem for outer suburban councils. In the 2015-16 year, Brimbank spent $700,000 collecting and disposing of illegally dumped waste. In neighbouring Hume, it cost ratepayers $1.9 million in 2015-16.
Quality Cut Halal Meats in Keilor Downs Plaza
Whittlesea was left with a similar clean-up bill last year. The Victorian government collects landfill levies on waste disposed at tips. A Department of Environment, Land, Planning and Water spokesman did not respond before deadline to questions about the amount of money the state government has amassed from landfill levies. But a state government spokesman said $136 million collected through the scheme would be poured into the Sustainability Fund in the next four years to support local government, businesses and communities in waste management.
See page 6