11.50am - By ANNE BESTON
The Auckland Regional Council is launching a major three-year campaign telling ratepayers how they can clean up their act.
Kicking off today with a "toxic tour" of some of Auckland's worst pollution problems, the ARC's $718,000 Big Clean Up is supported by the Ministry for the
Environment and will target householders, businesses and schools.
It was a pilot programme that it was hoped would eventually be run throughout the country, said ARC chair Gwen Bull. The aim was to keep it simple and fun.
"One of the great things about the programme is that it is personalised and the actions are so simple," she said.
The ARC would send out environmental "health checks" to householders who can then mail them back and receive a 10-point action plan. Included would be advice on such things as "smart shopping" to reduce waste and how to avoid flushing pollutants down the city's stormwater system.
Each month the council would target a specific environmental problem such as weeds, vehicle emissions and stormwater, she said.
The campaign would highlight some of the problems Auckland's environment had to cope with.
Each year enough hazardous waste is dumped in Auckland to fill five Sky Towers, according to the ARC.
A number of sponsors are also backing the campaign including a major garden retailer which is offering discounts on native plants.
The campaign would also encourage Aucklanders to get out and enjoy the great outdoors, especially the region's parks, Mrs Bull said.
nzherald.co.nz/environment
