Charity assistance to get rid of household rubbish

Campbell Hill, Jackie Paine (left) and Angela Rogers from Good Neighbour. Photo/file

Families that allow rubbish to pile up because they could not afford to have it taken away will get $4800 of assistance from Tauranga ratepayers.

The money will shift 24 tonnes of rubbish over the next 12 months by the community group Good Neighbour which helps people in need.

Todd Rowling of Good Neighbour submitted to the Tauranga City Council draft Annual Plan in April saying the charity worked with a lot of people who were struggling to make ends meet.

"One common request we get is to help people get rid of rubbish (both household and garden) that has accumulated as they often can't afford rubbish bags," Mr Rowling said in the submission.

"We now have a chipper (thanks to the match fund from the council) to mulch up garden waste and recycle it to their gardens.

"This is working well. The problem is the household rubbish. We would love to have a card enabling us to take this rubbish to the transfer station and help these struggling families get back on their feet."

Mr Rowling said the charity would be carefully assessing each request and would not be offering this to all its clients.

"This is a big issue out there in the community and can be the cause of people losing their housing and potentially becoming homeless. Rising rents and living costs are really
squeezing many families and putting them under increased financial pressure.

"We are working hard to make Tauranga a better place to live where communities are strong and look after each other."