A recent roadside cleanup over the Matakana/Whangaripo Hill identified drinkers of premix Bourbon and colas as the worst litter offenders.
A total of 21 bags of recycling and a truck-load of non-recyclable rubbish were removed during the event.
Cleanup organisers, Kurt Salmond and Clair McEntegart, of Gulf Eco Adventures, say it was a “real eye-opener”.
“Premix Bourbon and colas outnumbered everything else 10-1,” Clair says. “This was followed by other premix drinks, energy drinks, cola cans and hundreds of coffee cups. There were also a lot of
McDonald’s wrappers, packets and containers. The lids on McDonald’s cups are a particular nuisance because they are made of a type of plastic that disintegrates and it’s those tiny pieces – that are almost impossible to pick-up – that are of real concern when they enter the sea.
“I don’t know how we get the message through to people to keep their rubbish in their cars and trucks until they get home, and not to just throw it out the window!”
Clair says if anyone would like to help in future cleanups around Matakana and Mangawhai they should keep an eye on the Facebook page gulfecowarriors.
“What is tossed out on the side of the road inevitably ends up in the ocean so the more we can do to remove it before it gets there, the better.”
