Illegal dumping costs Ashburton ratepayers up to $15k a year
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.
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.7% Summer
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36.7% Winter
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1.6% Other - I'll share 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 ❤️
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!
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