7 September 2016

Time is up for litter bugs

Taupō District Council is about to wage a war on litter.

Teams of council staff will be taking to the streets around the district next week for the launch of an anti-litter campaign aiming to make sure the Taupo District is the cleanest in the country. The launch coincides with Keep New Zealand Beautiful’s Clean Up Week.

Chief executive Gareth Green says the Taupō District’s litter problem has increased over the past year, with around 1.8 tonnes of litter being collected each week throughout the district.

“That’s simply unacceptable and it’s about time we as a community called time on people who are not doing the right thing,” he said. “It costs ratepayers around $400,000 a year for the council to manage the problem, which is money that could be better spent in other areas.

“We all need to take responsibility for sorting out this issue, and contribute to looking after the place we love.”

While having a vision of the Taupō District being the cleanest in New Zealand may seem a lofty goal, Mr Green believes it is achievable, particularly if the community gets in behind it.

“It’s easy to make a difference. Don’t throw litter out of your car window. Put your cans, bottles, pie wrappers and takeaway containers in a rubbish bin and securely cover your trailer when you’re taking refuse to the landfill.”

Mr Green said it was also unacceptable to dump animal carcasses, old whiteware or green waste in public places.

“Hunters should practice disposing of their kill responsibly and in most cases whiteware is free to recycle at landfill. Small loads of general waste only costs a few dollars to dispose of, which is a small price to pay for the health and safety of our community.

“There is no excuse for the litter bugs in our communities wasting ratepayers’ money on cleaning up their lazy mess. If we work together to look after the place we love, we can all make a difference.”

Clean-Up Week runs from September 12 to 18. Throughout the week Taupō District Council staff will don rubber gloves and arm themselves with rubbish bags before heading out into the community to help rid the district of as much litter as possible.

For more information visit taupo.govt.nz.

END

© Scoop Media