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

Authorities spend thousands in battle against roadside rubbish in Northland

Danica MacLean
By Danica MacLean
Multimedia Journalist, Newstalk ZB·Northern Advocate·
15 Jan, 2019 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Grant Alsop said the Whangārei District Council contractors deal with around 80 jobs a month, ranging from one bag of rubbish to large dump sites. Photo / John Stone

Grant Alsop said the Whangārei District Council contractors deal with around 80 jobs a month, ranging from one bag of rubbish to large dump sites. Photo / John Stone

Authorities are shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to clean up tonnes of rubbish dumped on the sides of Northland highways and local roads.

The NZ Transport Agency's Northland system manager, Jacqui Hori-Hoult, said rubbish dumping is a growing problem.

"We do heaps of rubbish clearing across the Northland network and it's becoming an increasing problem with people littering or dumping domestic and commercial rubbish along the roadside.

"We clear two dump sites and pick up an average 500 black bags of rubbish a month."

Dump sites have included rest areas and shingle dumps on State Highway 10 and SH1 and at the summit of the Brynderwyns on SH1.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Annual costs for NZTA to clean up roadside rubbish on its network from Puhoi to Cape Reinga are estimated at $78,000.

This mountain of rubbish was dumped on the side of State Highway 10 in December. Photo/Supplied
This mountain of rubbish was dumped on the side of State Highway 10 in December. Photo/Supplied

"Chasing rubbish dumpers is not our core business, but we have to clean up after them. And that's a waste of our time and resources. We all have a responsibility to protect our environment and keep it clean."

The agency has to call in extra contractors when it discovers illegal dumping that can't be part of its usual rubbish collecting along the roadsides.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The time and resources allocated to cleaning up rubbish would be better spent on pothole repairs, vegetation clearance, signs maintenance, repairing wire-ropes and road sweeping."

Hori-Hoult said the dumping takes two forms.

"There's the mess left near towns by people who've been eating fast food and then just dump the leftovers and wrappings out the window.

"And then there are people who appear to load up their household waste - that's everything from broken furniture and bikes to bags of clothes and old food - and toss it at a rest stop or on the side of the road. They leave a disgusting mess and it's not a great impression for our visitors."

Discover more

New Zealand

Crashes close SH1 and inner city street in Whangārei

14 Jan 12:45 AM

Waste truck tips as hoist clips bridge, hits car

14 Jan 05:00 PM

IRB, junior surf carnival competitions thrill crowds

17 Jan 01:00 AM

What's On: 30+ things to do this weekend

17 Jan 09:00 PM
An illegal dump on the side of State Highway One at the top of the Brynderwyns which was cleaned up before Christmas. Photo/Supplied
An illegal dump on the side of State Highway One at the top of the Brynderwyns which was cleaned up before Christmas. Photo/Supplied

She said it is a year-round problem so locals are responsible for some of it but it's worse in summer with holidaymakers who go home but leave their rubbish behind.

Hori-Hoult said the agency has a partnership with Northland councils over prosecuting dumpers.

"If we find names and addresses in the rubbish we'll work with the councils to follow up. Better still, if people can send us vehicle registrations or photos of dumpers in action. We've got their rubbish. We just need eye witness or photographic evidence to confirm the person responsible."

Local councils are also feeling the pinch of the problem.

Whangārei District Council waste and drainage field officer Grant Alsop said in Whangārei the council deals with about 80 jobs a month, varying from a rubbish bag or piece of furniture to large dump sites.

In the 2017/18 financial year, Whangārei District Council spent $123,072 cleaning up fly-tips, and about $200,000 the year before.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
A chest of drawers was among the rubbish dumped on State Highway 10, just south of Taupo Bay Rd. Photo / Supplied
A chest of drawers was among the rubbish dumped on State Highway 10, just south of Taupo Bay Rd. Photo / Supplied

Kaipara District Council's costs for illegal dumping in this financial year are looking at about $50,000, which includes around $30,000 to clean up about 60 tonnes of rubbish in a tomo south of Te Kopuru in August.

Chief operating officer and general manager infrastructure Curt Martin said it's disappointing to see this sort of continuing disregard for the environment.

"We are asking the public to be vigilant and if they see anything they suspect as illegal dumping in public land such as parks, reserves, or even spaces off the road, to note the details of the vehicles and inform the council immediately."

The Far North District Council spent $118,065 in the 2017/18 financial year on dealing with illegal rubbish.

A bill to amend the Litter Act to increase the maximum fine for an infringement from $400 to $1000 is at its second reading.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

'I didn’t have time to think': Well-known local rescues woman from rising flood

Northern Advocate

'Frankly dangerous': Gang member's alleged reckless driving near police lands him in court

Northern Advocate

Invasive sea spurge found at Spirits Bay, threatening native plants


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

'I didn’t have time to think': Well-known local rescues woman from rising flood
Northern Advocate

'I didn’t have time to think': Well-known local rescues woman from rising flood

Roddy Pihema saved a woman and her dog from rising floodwaters in Kawakawa.

16 Jul 06:00 AM
'Frankly dangerous': Gang member's alleged reckless driving near police lands him in court
Northern Advocate

'Frankly dangerous': Gang member's alleged reckless driving near police lands him in court

16 Jul 04:04 AM
Invasive sea spurge found at Spirits Bay, threatening native plants
Northern Advocate

Invasive sea spurge found at Spirits Bay, threatening native plants

16 Jul 04:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 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