COFFS Harbour Mountain Bike Club members recently spent several hours cleaning up rubbish dumped in the Pine Creek State Forest.

Damp conditions were too wet for riding so Club members made the most of the conditions to conduct maintenance work and clean up areas subjected to illegal dumping of household and domestic waste.

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Club volunteers removed around 250 kilograms of waste from multiple sites along the fire trail network within their permit area, with Forestry Corporation covering the waste disposal charges.

Coffs Harbour Mountain Bike Club President Mick Strazzari said it was disappointing to see the accumulation of illegally dumped rubbish in the forest and said Club members were passionate about monitoring the forest around the mountain bike tracks for signs of illegal dumping.

Club members collected car tyres, mattresses, used nappies and general domestic rubbish from around the fire trails in the club’s permit area in Pine Creek State Forest.

Forestry Corporation of NSW’s Partnerships Leader Ryan Ellis said that Forestry Corporation regularly partners with community groups and forest permit holders to maintain recreation facilities throughout the region.

He said that the mountain bike tracks in Pine Creek State Forest are popular with locals and visitors to the area and the club does a fantastic job at maintaining the site.

“Unfortunately, some people illegally dump waste on public land, so we’re grateful for the volunteers from community groups like the Coffs Harbour Mountain Bike Club who support efforts to remove dumped rubbish,” he said.

Coffs Harbour Mountain Bike Club President, Mick Strazzari said, “The Club spends a considerable amount of time and energy keeping the trails maintained and manages the site under a Forest Permit through Forestry Corporation, which includes rights and responsibilities for looking after the site.

“We hope other forest users will work with the club to maintain vigilance against illegal activities and to support approved single-track riding in the forest,” he said.

During the clean-up work, evidence was collected, which included a credit card and provided to authorities to investigate.

“We welcome all mountain bikers and other forest users who enjoy the area but if our members witness dumping in the area we will be reporting it,” Mr Strazzari said.

He told News Of The Area that while a number of people cite high waste disposal fees as a reason for dumping, there are no excuses.

Anyone noticing incidences of illegal dumping are asked to note any relevant details and report via the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s (EPA) online reporting tool RIDONLINE at ridonline.epa.nsw.gov.au.

By Andrew VIVIAN