Rubbish pickup points cause problems

Householders who leave their rubbish at roadside collection points outside designated pick-up times are breaking the law, and authorities say it is happening every week.

For instance, the day after household rubbish was cleared from the collection point at the intersection of Whangaripo and Wayby Valley roads, near Wellsford, Northern Matters photographed scrap metal, 14 official bags, and eight supermarket carriers bursting with rubbish. All of which will spent almost a week festering in summer temperatures.

Throughout the region, household rubbish is being regularly dumped with scant regard to a Council bylaw which directly prohibits this.

Mason Contractors manager Graeme Bell says even if rubbish is in an official orange bag, dumping it outside the designated collection time is an offence.

Masons is responsible for rubbish collection throughout north Rodney.

Householders are required to place rubbish – in pre-paid official bags – at the collection point not before 5pm the night before collection day.

“At any other time, it’s dumped illegally and offenders face a fine,” Mr Bell says. “Of course, the problem lies in catching the person. Most emphatically deny dropping rubbish off early.”

Council’s waste operations manager Marcus Braithwaite says rural households, without the luxury of a kerbside collection outside their home, use communal collection areas often remote from their properties.

“This could be one reason for the problem,” he says “It’s a question of ownership. If householders were putting their rubbish outside their own homes they’d not put it out ahead of time and risk it getting broken into. But because the collection point is more remote, it’s ‘out of sight, out of mind’. I’d urge people to think of their local environment when disposing of rubbish.”

Another ongoing problem concerns signage erected by Council to advise of pick-up times.

“The signs seem to regularly disappear, which means that some claim ignorance when dropping off rubbish,” Mr Braithwaite says.

The problem escalates in summer, with holidaymakers adding to the roadside piles.
“For some reason, the Whangaripo/Wayby junction is one of the worst in the area.”

Within hours of the once-weekly collection, rubbish begins to mount at the corner of Wayby Valley Road.