A retired Auckland resident is “angry and hurting” after more than a decade of removing people’s dumped goods – cars and mattresses included – from her quiet cul-de-sac street.
Panmure resident Susan May, who celebrated her 76th birthday two weeks ago, has been picking up other people’s rubbish since she moved into her home 16 years ago.
May told the Herald the end of Allenby St, at Allenby Reserve, has become a popular dumping spot for household rubbish, mattresses, old Christmas trees and abandoned cars.
She noticed the littering became worse after Auckland Council removed thousands of public rubbish bins in late 2023.
“It’s really hurting me. I’m out every day keeping our cul-de-sac clean and tidy and then people just come along and purposefully dump their rubbish.
“It just makes me really angry people think they can do that.”
May said a “private” unbranded truck had come down the street on two occasions late at night and dumped truckloads of full rubbish bags on to the reserve.
“It costs me nothing [to clean up] and I like being outdoors, but I get really angry with these big dumpings. It’s not something I or anyone wants to see out their window.
“Such a lack of consideration for the people living here.”
May said she contacted the council several weeks ago after one of the nearby houses captured a dumping incident on camera.
“The council said, ‘yes, we’ll do something’, but I haven’t heard back.”
May also advised police of two cars that had been abandoned at the end of the cul-de-sac.
“I rang the police and the cars remained there for two months.”
One particular council employee, however, who provided May with his contact number, had been helpful in fast-tracking removals.
“He is always here within 20 minutes and gets things cleared in the next day or so.
“I told him about how the cars had been there two months and he made a call to police and within 48 hours they were cleared.”
Having no public bins has also meant dog walkers have left bags of poo on the grass and thrown rubbish over a bank into the nearby estuary.
“I’ve stopped to ask people what they’re doing and they just go, ‘oh well, there are no bins so that’s not my fault’ and drive off.”
May has also used a “billy goat” to clean up leaves, which she claimed frequently block the street’s stormwater drain.
“Council are meant to keep drains clear but they’re always blocked and overflow pretty easily.”
While May and her husband were away for two weeks, she said neighbours rang the council to remove “piles” of rubbish that had accumulated on the street.
When it came to maintenance, lawns were mowed less often and more sporadically than in previous years.
Marcel Morgan, manager area operations Howick and Maungakiekie-Tāmaki local boards, said the council’s Parks and Community Facilities team has a documented quality assurance programme.
It includes regular formal site audits alongside routine contractor visits for maintenance, such as mowing and loose-litter servicing.
He said contractors also act as eyes and ears on site and report issues they see, between audits.
“The last two audits of Allenby Reserve in February and April showed the park was generally clean, tidy and well maintained, with no loose litter recorded through those audits.
“Between 1 May 2025 and 1 May 2026 there were two recorded as Loose Litter Collection orders, which does not indicate a recurring loose-litter issue at the reserve.
“The council’s Waste Solutions team has advised that the last reported illegal dumping job for this location was in January 2026. We are aware of occasional rubbish bags and small items in the area, but are not aware of recent large-scale dumping at this site.”
He said public litter bins were generally placed where there is higher public use or activity, such as busy parks, town centres, play spaces, sports areas or places with formal paths.
“They are for small items people have while they are out and about, such as food packaging. They are not for household or commercial rubbish.”
He encouraged anyone who sees illegal dumping, especially bulky items, such as mattresses, Christmas trees or abandoned vehicles, to report it online at ask.auckland or call 0800 NO DUMP.
Loose litter or other park maintenance issues can be reported through Auckland Council’s Report a Problem tool or by calling 09 301 0101.