By Jade Lawton
Left: Berwick resident Geoff Rankin with his 2009/10 phone book, one of many he found dumped in Grassmere Creek recently. 31767
Stewart
Chambers
HUNDREDS of new phone books, still in their plastic wrapping, have been discovered dumped in Berwick’s Grassmere Creek.
Resident Geoff Rankin came across the stash, along Beaumont Road, last week when he spotted a stray book resting in a tree.
Going closer to investigate, he looked down the embankment and saw hundreds more littering the creek bed.
Mr Rankin contacted the City of Casey, Telstra and Melbourne Water to report the find.
“That’s how you do a day’s work in 10 minutes and it’s a good example of brainless people rubbishing Australia,” he said.
“It’s not going to dissolve in 100 years with all that plastic.”
The mess, which has now been removed, was not visible from the road, but Mr Rankin said it appeared to have been dumped recently.
Sensis external communications manager Stephen Ronchi said the directories were removed from the creek by a distribution contractor as soon as they were brought to their attention.
“The agreements we enter with our distribution contractors are very clear in terms of the level of performance we require,” he said. “They are also very clear in terms of the immediate action required should there be any issues regarding performance.
“Our contractor was able to salvage a small number of directories and have them included in our ongoing distribution program for Melbourne. The remainder that were damaged have been taken for recycling.”
Mr Ronchi said residents and businesses with inquiries about their White Pages directory could contact Sensis on 1800 810 211.
Mr Rankin has not yet had a set of phone books delivered, but has made do with the book he took from the tree. “I would like it delivered, we’ve paid to have it delivered as part of our Telstra charges and somebody decided to have an early lunch I guess,” he said.
“I got mine, but I had to go to Grassmere Creek to get it.”
