Roadside storm debris cleanup update

Published on 19 March 2024

Works are continuing as part of Council’s roadside storm debris cleanup, with contractors working street by street in the Upwey-Belgrave area to remove fallen trees and branches by roadsides that came down during last month’s storm event.

So far the contractors have taken away an estimated 50 trucks worth of mulch from the debris following last month’s storm event.

While the contractors are working as quickly as possible to clean up the area, there have been some added complexities compared with other previous storm events.

Many of Council’s smaller roads have been impacted, making it slower for the contractors to move the machinery in and out of, while many of the trees in need of attention are still standing with as many as six ‘hangers’ to remove.

A ‘hanger’ is a branch that has fallen from higher point in the tree and now rests loosely on other branches in the tree.

This is in comparison to other events where trees have been completely knocked down to the ground and then only require dismantling and taking away.

While Council remains clear that this program does not include private property cleanup, residents who still need to clear their properties can do so by:

• Taking their green waste caused by the storm to any of the below transfer stations, free of charge until 30 April.
  • Coldstream Transfer Station, Ingram Rd &, Leonard Rd, Coldstream. Open 7 days a week.
  • Wesburn Transfer Station, 689 Old Warburton Rd, Wesburn. Open Friday-Monday.
  • Lysterfield Transfer Station, 840 Wellington Rd, Lysterfield. Accepting storm waste 8am-3.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-11.30am Sat-Sun.
    
    
• Contacting Emergency Relief Victoria (ERV) to have their property assessed for hazardous tree removal. Impacted residents can call their hotline on 1800 560 760 to register for an inspection.

Council’s contractors have been taking photos of completed areas to assist with the reporting of the cleanup, which has also helped the creation of a map to show the progress of the works.

For more information about cleanup works and their progress, visit the map webpage.

Visit the map

Green denotes works have been completed, orange denotes works have started, and purple denotes the road is Department of Transport’s responsibility.