Aucklanders rubbishing the city

By RENEE KIRIONA

People in Auckland's central business district drop more rubbish than those in Australia's worst city for street litter.

And Lindsey Britton, who puts her hands in the mess every day, knows exactly how big the litterbug problem is getting.

This month, six local authorities in the Auckland region launched the Be A Tidy Kiwi campaign to try to stop people from littering.

Over the next month the councils will ask the public to "dob in a dumper". They will also send out litter educators and compliance officers to hand out instant fines of up to $100.

"The place is filthy and no matter how many times you warn people they keep on doing it," Lindsey Britton said.

"I'm what you call the illegal rubbish dumping compliance officer, which actually means that I have to put my hands in the filth to try and find the perpetrator."

Each year about 5674 tonnes of loose litter is scattered across streets in the region, costing ratepayers almost $3.2 million. Four hundred tonnes of that is dropped in the Auckland CBD.

Aucklanders drop 35g more litter per capita in the CBD every day than their counterparts in Sydney, which is regarded as Australia's dirtiest city for litter.

However, a visual comparison would most probably leave the City of Sails in a better light, says Mayor John Banks.

"The statistics are very disappointing but we've made a huge effort at considerable expense to keep this great city clean.

"People who live and work here have to learn to respect the place and we will continue on with educating the delinquents."

In the CBD there are seven street orderlies. There is also a large crew emptying the rubbish bins three times a day and another which cleans mechanically and manually at night. Overall 150 to 200 staff are street cleaning in Auckland City.

Aerrol Leader is one of them.

"I can't really complain because this work puts bread and butter on my table," he said, "but I have noticed how dirty Aucklanders can be. It's quite disgusting actually."

Like Lindsey Britton, he believes the city's transient student population is a major contributor.

"The Asian students are by far the biggest litterers, only because they are not familiar about how things work here," Lindsey Britton said.

"We know it's them because of the letters and other paper work we find in their rubbish among all the chop sticks, empty Asian noodle and rice packets."

By the time she tracked the students down, most had already left the country and more arrived, she said.

Most of the students stayed in apartment buildings which could have up to 130 rooms owned by several different people.

Getting the message across was a mission because a lot of body corporates, which managed the rooms on behalf of the owners, did not know who was coming and going, she said.

Businesses were also becoming a major problem.

"There are so many Kiwi-owned businesses in the CBD that just don't seem to care and others that can't understand a word of English.

"Most of the businesses we link it back to are usually really embarrassed and pay up but individuals tend to be very evasive, especially those who don't intend to stay."

In Manukau, which collects 1300 tonnes of litter a year, ATM receipts and cigarette butts are on the rise.

In South Auckland's urban centres an average of five cigarette butts per square metre was recorded in a litter survey.

Manukau councillor Noel Burnside said talking directly to individuals would have a greater impact on changing habits.

"The face-to-face approach is likely to have more of an influence on people who drop litter in public places, so we're going to use it in some of the city's shopping areas."

Litter: the facts

Tonnes of street litter

North Shore1230

Auckland City (CBD: 400) 1600

Waitakere747

Manukau1300

Rodney500

Papakura297

Sydney3000

London177,000

(the second-dirtiest city in the world after Athens)

The fines

Individuals can be fined up to $500 and businesses up to $2000 depending on the nature and amount of rubbish.

Manukau and Auckland city councils have fined people $100 for flicking cigarette butts and ATM receipts on to streets.

Types of litterers

Wedgers: Litterers that stuff or wedge their litter in small places, such as a gap between seats, so it will not be seen.

Undertakers: Litterers that cover or bury their litter under soil, sand or leaves.

Foulshooters: People who aim for the rubbish bin, miss and leave the object where it fell.

Why people litter

Laziness: More than half of all littering occurs within 5m of a rubbish bin.

Deliberate action: Often litter is not simply left behind, but placed carefully in chosen locations by wedgers or undertakers.

The design and location of rubbish bins: People are more likely to leave objects in the open beside an overflowing rubbish bin.

Too few rubbish bins.

Excuses

The bin was too far to reach from my car.

I want the world to know how rich I am.

I don't know this area so I'm leaving a trail to find my way.