Cars line up to dump close to 100 tonnes of rubbish at the Tharbogang tip on the weekend. Council opened up the landfill site for free to help combat illegal dumping around the city.
IT LOOKED like the biggest traffic jam to ever hit Griffith.
Cars, utes and trailers lined up for miles right across the weekend, waiting to dump close to 100 tonnes of rubbish at the tip.
It was the second time council had offered free dumping at the tip and more than 1400 residents took advantage of the occasion.
"Free tip days" were introduced last year following complaints from residents about rubbish being dumped illegally at Scenic Hill and along some of the city's streets.
While it was too early to tell whether the offer had made a difference to the streetscape, council waste operations manager John Roser said the tip's steel, tyre and mattress piles had doubled in size.
"Free tip days are a worthwhile thing to do, even if it only stops 100 or 200 people dumping somewhere else," Mr Roser said.
"It is quite a costly exercise but it gives people the impetus to get rid of their rubbish the right way and that's something we need to encourage.
"The fact that almost double the amount of people came through on the weekend than when we did it the first time is a good sign."
The free days were organised to coincide with Clean Up Australia Day.
Yenda's tip was also open to the public at no cost on Sunday, with 275 people making the most of the opportunity.
Six staff were employed to operate the Tharbogang landfill site and two to operate Yenda.
The free days have replaced the city's bulk waste pickup service, which cost council up to $80,000 per year.
Mr Roser said the new system gave more people an opportunity to dispose of their waste, with the pickup service only benefiting those close to the CBD.
The tip will be open for free again in August, the weekend before judging for Tidy Towns.