Residents living near Cahills Lookout in Katoomba are fed up with salvaging rubbish left by tourists and are campaigning for council to place another bin at the site.
Resident, Peter Maiden, said facilities to look after the rubbish left by tourists are “inadequate”. There were previously two bins at the site, before a fire there in 2015.
“Each week the bin overflows and in windy weather the overflow presents a distasteful sight to passers-by,” he said.
“Today, what appears to be the remains of a burnt-out car can be seen in the foreground of one photo. It is left to, we, the residents, to salvage the rubbish until council empties the bin.”
Mr Maiden said he and other residents have reported the problem about the rubbish overflow at the iconic Cahills Lookout on Scenic Drive to council on “several occasions”.
“The council has acknowledged my wife's call advising her that the matter will be rectified 'as soon as possible',” he told the Gazette.
“The problem appears to be exacerbated when larger tourist buses stop there. The passengers and coach drivers sometimes appear unwilling to take their rubbish, drink cartons, sweet wrappers, food containers, etc, with them when the bin is already full.
“This is not a complicated problem. It can be remedied by installing another bin at Cahills.”
Mr Maiden said while the bin is usually emptied early in the week, “in windy times a group of us who have a sense of civic pride feel obliged on early mornings after the weekend to pick the not inconsiderable debris blown from the top of the bin and scattered around the neighbouring streets”.
“I believe it would be a most uncommon sight to see any council employees picking up the scattered litter around our area.”
A council spokeswoman said council was “actively monitoring the level and pattern of use of Cahills Lookout and will consider the need to install second bin if needed”.
“Council is monitoring the use of bins at various lookouts and reserves to consider the best approach to managing the volumes of waste at these locations that is cost effective”.
She said options include installing additional bins, increasing the frequency of bin collections; and placing temporary bins during peak periods.