Illegal dumping costs Ashburton ratepayers up to $15k a year

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:

Illegal dumping continues to hit ratepayers in the pocket, with volunteers sending a message to the culprits: "Don't be a tosser."

Ashburton District Council paid $13,000 to clean up illegal dumping in 2022-23, and from June to September the bill has tallied $1700, infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said.

“The first three months are trending slightly lower than usual. Annually the cost usually falls somewhere between $10,000 and $15,000."

The cost of disposal and council staff investigation time is not included in the price.

One offender was found and issued a fine of $400, he said.

The cost for the council did not take into account the work of Litter-Free Ashburton, McCann said.

The local volunteering group did monthly litter pickups around Ashburton, and most of what they picked up was illegally dumped material, McCann said.

The volunteers, a group of about 16 mostly retired people, meet on the second Thursday of every month and target trouble spots around Ashburton.

Litter-Free Ashburton spokesperson Bev Skates said the group usually collected about 20 bags of rubbish, ranging from common household rubbish to the bedding, tyres, pallets, carpet, furniture and other large items.

“People are just too lazy to go to the dump,” Skates said.

Once the litter is bagged and piled up at a location, the council organises its collection.

The council supplied hi-vis vests and tools to help the group, Skates said, and it also cut back tree branches to reduce illegal dumping.

One of the worst hit areas was North Park Reserve, the strip of land along State Highway 1 at the northern end of town, Skates said.

Rubbish was found all along the stretch of the highway from people throwing items out of their vehicles on their way out of town, she said.

“We don’t want tossers.”

Rather than adding more rubbish bins, people needed to use the available one and have some social responsibility, she said.

A recent council report highlighted that illegal dumping is prevalent around Melrose Rd, which leads to the Ashburton/Hakatere River, and Alford Forest Rd on the western edge of Ashburton.

Elizabeth Ave is the trouble spot in Rakaia, with illegal dumping occurring at the edge of town near the Rakaia Domain.

Methven had no reports of illegal dumping in September, but the report stated there had been an increase in dumping at the Methven recycling facility.