Furniture, cars, televisions and computers are among the items being dumped on the side of Western Bay of Plenty roads.
Furniture and electronics are being dumped on the side of the road in the Western Bay of Plenty.
Areas such as Maketu Road, Little Waihi/Bledisloe Park Road, Oropi Gorge Road, Ohauiti Road, Welcome Bay Road and Rocky Cutting Road are frequent targets of illegal rubbish dumpers.
Waitao Road, Te Puna Station Road and Te Matai Road are also problem areas, says WBOP Council utilities environment and compliance officer Ilze Kruis.
Ilze says where possible, council endeavours to follow up reports of illegal rubbish dumping.
'We have not had more reports of illegal rubbish dumping than normal for this time of the year.
'Concrete evidence is required [before a prosecution can made]. Evidence mostly leads to a dead end.
'Often when leads are followed up we find that people have moved address, or the descriptions given are incorrect.” Ilze says where rubbish is identified, it's either returned to the address or a letter is sent to contact Council.
Those dumping rubbish face a fine of up to $150.
8 comments
Simple really
Posted on 15-06-2014 12:26 | By penguin
Look at the fees charged to use the transfer stations especially green waste which is recycled and then sold back as compost. Somewhat akin to 'double dipping!'
Clever
Posted on 15-06-2014 13:29 | By panda
to list all the roads (including my one), so the dumpers know where to go. Nice one! Not!
Some people...
Posted on 15-06-2014 14:54 | By morepork
...just don't get it. We are fortunate to live in a beautiful environment and yet some people think it is OK to destroy it. $150 is too low. Make it $1500, plus the costs of moving what they dumped back to them, or, if it is n't possible to dump it back on them, the cost of dumping it properly. Then go after them with vigour. Raise awareness. Make the general perception of this the socially unacceptable crime that it is. Maybe then some minds can be changed.
the reason why
Posted on 15-06-2014 15:47 | By sojourner
The reason why this happens is because taking these items to the dump at one's own expense, and then having to pay a fairly hefty amount of money for the privilege of being allowed to dump it there is just too expensive.Tight budgets make it difficult for many people to spend money on rubbish collection bags, and I suspect many people just don't have the means to take big items to the dump anyway. There used to be a once a year household items pick up from the curb side, which was great. Maybe that could be brought back to help stop roadside dumping.
Waste collection
Posted on 15-06-2014 16:38 | By Sambo Returns
does not always work, every ratepayer should have a decent waste collection system, of all types, it should be a part of your rates, the T.C.C will just have to lay off some staff to fund it, its very simple really.
Rubbish
Posted on 16-06-2014 07:36 | By Tyraone
mayybe the time has come to re introduce free rubbish bags as Rotorua does. To help pay for this lay off some of the councillors, or staff surpus to requirements better still reduce their wages. I agree with Sambo Returns
.
Posted on 16-06-2014 12:10 | By maccachic
Maybe people need to consider dumping costs when buying all these short life spand goods. Shame the society we live in, upgrading every year to the most modern things.
Fair point
Posted on 17-06-2014 13:40 | By morepork
The cost of dumping may be too high and the fact that green waste still has to be paid for is probably not right. The problem is that if the cost of dumping is lowered, the shortfall will have to come out of Rates (or you can bet that's what they'll tell us...). It's just another example of the unfairness of the current rating system; ratepayers cover costs of everything. We need a council tax, levied on every person living here, to spread the load more fairly and make it easier. Abolish Rates! Go for Electoral Roll Tax!
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