Residents in Perth's north have declared war on 'verge bandits', after opportunistic passers-by continue to abuse council-run bulk rubbish collections in the area.
The City of Swan has received a number of complaints from residents about people going through rubbish left for curb-side pick-up.
Ballajura local Leanne Maguire said she has experienced the problem since bulk rubbish collection in her suburb began.
"You put your stuff out in boxes and kerb-crawlers upend the boxes all over your lawn looking for 'treasure'," she said.
"They rip the boxes apart so you can't even reuse them. There was nearly a fight round the corner from us when a resident objected to a kerb crawler upending boxes on his lawn.
"This last weekend it was like we lived at a crime scene there were so many drive bys.
"[It's annoying] having to pick up rubbish and re-box it at least three to four times a day, as it is either blowing everywhere or strewn across your lawn- again."
Ms Maguire took to social media to discuss her problem, and found a number of local residents who had experienced the same problem as her.
"We live in a cul-de-sac and I've never had so many cars coming through before," one resident posted.
"There's a group of young kids who keep dragging stuff into the bush at the park. Even after I spoke to them they came back and did it again. [I] have cleaned up the bush on Sunday afternoon, so hoping it gets collected soon!"
"We had two clowns wheeling themselves up and down our street on two student chairs that they had grabbed off a pile, at 1am one day last week... one of those chairs is now in the lake," another said.
A number of residents have made complaints, but they have said it can be difficult to catch verge bandits in the act.
In Victoria, households are able to apply for a skip bin and organise two collections per year. Local councils are able to impose fines if residents put out bins too early, and the system is done on a house-by-house basis.
City of Swan acting CEO, Mark Bishop, said one of the main issues facing the city was people placing items on their verge long before a scheduled pick-up, attracting passers-by to hunt for a bargain.
"The City of Swan works continuously to support and educate its residents (and the community) on bulk verge pickups," he said.
"Unfortunately one of the biggest issues for the City is that rubbish is often placed on the verge long before the waste pick up is scheduled. Not only can this attract 'pickers' but it can be classified as illegal dumping.
"Residents who have waste that needs to be disposed of before the bulk verge collection date have a number of options available to them, including recyclable goods drop-off days."
He encouraged people to check the waste section on the city's website for more details on collection dates and said the city is also in the process of implementing and investigating a range of future waste initiatives.
