Refuse being dumped into Tauranga's harbour is a growing problem in the eyes of resident Mark Fogerty.

He says it's an "eye sore" and he has no problem finding rubbish when trying to address the problem by doing clean ups along the waterfront.

Following a recent heavy rain event, Mark says he retrieved a large blue drum from the water near the "Hairy Maclary statues" along The Strand while clearing up litter in the water.

He then shortly after found an orange safety fence dumped nearby, and thought it was a "great opportunity" to reuse the materials.

Mark Fogerty with his new found reusable materials. Photo: Taylor Rice/SunLive.

"I had been asked to manage a car asphalt resurface operation by the owner of Hugo & Carters backpackers in Judea, and thought I could use it for the project," says Mark.

"I knew I could use the drum as a barrier to support of the safety fence to stop any guests and staff entering. So cleaning up the city has involved the upcycling of dumped materials which were both an eye sore and destined to stay in the harbour. It's a win win for the environment."

The dumped blue drum and safety fence being put to good use. Photo: Supplied/SunLive.

Mark says for the harbour to be cleaner in the future, people "need to have a change of attitude".

"We need to look after what we live in. I even found lots of rubbish along the seating areas at Herries Park. I've noticed people have come back to those areas after they have been cleaned up."

Mark says he feels the Tauranga Central Business District would be more active if the public attitude to dumping rubbish was addressed.