Recycling improving in Ashburton district
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Recycling habits are improving but can still get better in the Ashburton District.
Deputy mayor Liz McMillan said there were still plenty of yellow bins “in bin jail” in Methven, and questioned whether the situation required another round of education for the community as to what could be recycled.
Infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said the number of bin confiscations had halved in the district and issues in Methven were a seasonal anomaly.
During the ski season there was a much higher number of bins not collected and removed, he said.
“Ashburton District’s recycling behaviour is currently holding quite steady.”
The council introduced kerbside monitoring in 2020, with numbers showing a gradual improvement.
The current watch list has 211 on a first strike pullback - when a bin is not collected and a tag is placed on the bin to explain why.
Thirty-nine are on a second strike and 74 have had a third strike and been confiscated.
“Having 74 confiscated [indicates] that things are improving as we were closer to 150 at one stage," McCann said.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️