More reckless dumping in Ngātaki

Rubbish has been dumped in Ngātaki. Photo / Supplied

Kaitāia man Regan Waipouri was enjoying a day out biking with his partner at at Ngātaki on Saturday until they began finding rubbish, including a substantial heap of bottles (pictured).

"We saw loads of rubbish that had been recklessly dumped," he said. The pile of bottles was the worst, but there was other stuff too, including a small fan, a washing machine and plastic bins.

Mr Waipouri and his partner plan to return this weekend to take it to the Pukenui transfer station.

"A lot of rubbish is being dumped out in the bush," he added.

"Do we need a better rubbish and recycling station in Pukenui to prevent this?

"Don't be lazy, whānau. Come to town to dump your rubbish. We love our bush. It's how many people make their income up here, and it's our home. We need to respect it."

Summit Forests' forest and harvest manager Bob Shirley wasn't sure whether the dumps were within Te Hiku Forest, but said he would be checking. The problem of illegal dumping, and lighting of fires in the forest had eased.