The dumping of cars shows a neglect for the environment and is often accompanied by toxic household and industrial waste constituting a direct hazard to your future, the environment and the dependant wildlife and flora. Have there been areas successfully cleared of dumped cars and associated waste and litter ? Yes !

In 1997 the project shared in gaining protection for an area of land subjected to environmental abuse which contains rare heath and plant species. Surrounded by the urban sprawl at Kingston in south eastern Tasmania the bushland area received the benefit of having several dozen dumped cars removed by individuals and volunteers of the Huntingfield-Coffee Creek Landcare Group, the Tasmanian Fire Service and members of the Great Car Body Clean Up Project. Following the clean up and the compaction of the car bodies by Simsmetal this abused wasteland of metal and rust was then renamed the "Peter Murrell Conservation Area" and is now managed by the Huntingfield-Coffee Creek Landcare Group alongside Parks and Wildlife Services.

Other areas that have received the project's benefits include Rokeby, Clarendon Vale, Flagstaff Gully, Lonnavale, Crabtree, Huonville, Geeveston, Grove, Cygnet, Collinsvale, Risdon, Brighten, Risdon Vale, Hobart and many smaller sites. Landowners faced with the difficulty of removing dumped cars on their own are assisted. Many landowners and local councils have acknowledged the support from the team with assistance and contributions to carry on the work.

The projects' effort has also been recognized by the Tasmanian Government and the Tasmanian Community Fund with funding and logistical support. The Tasmanian Conservation Trust was awarded the Minister's Sustainable Development Award for the year 2000 in connection with the project.

Since all this activity fails to go unnoticed media attention has helped to make the project more widely known. This in turn has exposed more areas that need cleaning up. The task is enormous. The extent of the problem was never realized at the project's beginning and the effort to remove dumped cars must be ongoing. As you can see, many individuals, groups and organizations have pitched in to rid the environment of dumped and abandoned car bodies. You can help too.

How? Report what you see. Make a simple map of their location. Attach your contact information with that of the landowner if known and mail your information to the TCT. Your find will add to the ever-growing body of evidence that this is a serious problem that needs serious funding for the project to continue. The project has documented the location of several hundred dumped car bodies since it began in 1996. Recently, on the eastern shore of Hobart 300 cars were stockpiled for recycling as pictured below. Such a huge effort came about through the cooperation of the community. Your assistance is a valuable share in such successes.

The project has been assisted by Clean Up Australia,
The Tasmanian Government, The Tasmanian Community
Fund, Tasmania Fire Service, Forestry Tasmania, Parks and
Wildlife Services, local councils,landcare groups and
concerned individuals.

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