Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

The psychology of a rubbish dumper

Northern Advocate
13 Sep, 2018 10:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
There are many reasons why people dump rubbish - but none of them are acceptable.

There are many reasons why people dump rubbish - but none of them are acceptable.

The psychology of a rubbish dumper:

Since the 1970s, research from United States and Canada litter studies from the public and private sectors, have noticed certain "traits" among willing/prone "serial" litterers or rubbish dumpers.

One standout trait is juvenility.

Regardless of race, sex or income, those innately possessing a far-too youth-oriented, "some development is still needed to become an accountable adult" mindset, notably, the age 16–25 demographic — is consistently witnessed as the most willing/prone individuals to do waste littering and dumping.

Read more: Up to 60 tonnes of illegally dumped rubbish found in Northland
MP Shane Reti: Dumping of hazardous waste into Northland stream unacceptable
'Appalling' levels of rubbish down at Ōpua's shoreline

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Another trait chronic litterers appear to have is a penchant for not wanting to be inconvenienced — things must be done NOW, even if the something done results in reckless or substandard quality, or harm, even death, to innocents.

Personal freedom is yet another quality - the ability to do literally anything without any retribution or suffering negative consequences.

Furthermore, a person's poor mental health that shows "resignation and despair", coupled with limited to non-existent childhood home training, play roles that make for those severely lacking little to no personal control, to stop engaging in this societal, and illegal, activity, that breeds disease and injures, even killing, animals and landscapes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Discover more

Kaipara ratepayers fork out $30,000 to clean up fly-tipping

23 Aug 06:00 PM

Bill Edmonds' messages to reduce rubbish

13 Sep 10:00 PM
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Severe thunderstorm watch continues across upper North Island

09 Nov 02:57 AM
Northern Advocate

Severe thunderstorm watch issued for Northland this afternoon

08 Nov 10:36 PM
Northern Advocate

‘EcoJunk is solving a problem’: Northland couple launch junk removal venture

08 Nov 10:00 PM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Severe thunderstorm watch continues across upper North Island
Northern Advocate

Severe thunderstorm watch continues across upper North Island

MetService says rainfall could cause flash flooding and hazardous driving.

09 Nov 02:57 AM
Severe thunderstorm watch issued for Northland this afternoon
Northern Advocate

Severe thunderstorm watch issued for Northland this afternoon

08 Nov 10:36 PM
‘EcoJunk is solving a problem’: Northland couple launch junk removal venture
Northern Advocate

‘EcoJunk is solving a problem’: Northland couple launch junk removal venture

08 Nov 10:00 PM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP