Rotorua illegal rubbish dumpers targeted in bid to curb ballooning Bay of Plenty numbers

Rotorua will be targeted in a campaign aimed at curbing the Bay of Plenty's ballooning problem with illegal rubbish dumpings. Photo / Getty Images

Rotorua will be targeted as part of a new campaign to curb the ballooning number of illegal rubbish dumpings in the Bay of Plenty.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is working on a Pollution Hotline campaign that will target illegal dumping "hotspots" Rotorua and Tauranga via digital billboards.

The regional council responds to reports of rubbish being dumped in or near waterways while Rotorua Lakes Council responds to illegal rubbish dumpings on land.

Rotorua Lakes Council solid waste and sustainability manager Prashant Praveen said it cost the council about $100,000 a year to clean up illegally dumped rubbish.

"Illegal dumping is always concerning and disappointing. It's harmful to both the environment and the reputation of our city. When residents call to report illegal dumping, they are often disappointed about how the rubbish looks for our city," Praveen said.

In December, there were 72 incidents of illegal rubbish dumpings collected by council contractor Smart Environmental.

Thirty incidents of illegal rubbish dumpings were reported to the council through its customer centre. Of these, four reports were dumped on the side of state highways and responded to by New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.

In July, the were 38 reports responded to by Smart Environmental and 47 reported to the council customer centre, including five on state highways.

"While the majority of illegal dumping takes place in urban areas, typically larger dumping cases occur in rural areas," Praveen said.

Typical dumped items included bags of household waste that could have been put in a wheelie bin, as well as building materials, old furniture and mattresses.

Praveen said there had been an increase in the dumping of rubbish and building materials.

In most instances, the council was notified within 24 hours of illegal dumpings.

The council used preventative measures such as reducing surrounding vegetation, installing CCTV cameras, signage, public rubbish bins and working alongside the community to help combat the issue, Praveen said.

Asked if the council had taken action against anyone for illegal rubbish dumpings, he said it was difficult to catch people and or gain enough evidence to conclusively prove the identity of the culprit.

Witnesses to illegal dumping should not approach offenders, but should take notes, photos or video of the person and their vehicle, which could help with identification and prosecution.

A location tag and photos could also help contractors go straight to the dumping site without having to search around.

Illegally dumped rubbish in Rotorua late last year. Photo / Supplied

Regional council compliance team leader Chris Brewer said Rotorua and Tauranga were
"two of our hotspots across the region" for illegal dumping.

The regional council has received four complaints of dumping incidents in the Bay of Plenty since December.

All of these cases were household rubbish dumped on land and were referred to the respective local authorities to investigate, Brewer said.

Dumped items included car tyres, car bodies, timber, a television, fridge, pots, pans and a child's pram.

"The regional council receives about 100 environmental complaints about rubbish dumping each year from across the region, which is approximately 3 per cent of the total calls we receive through our Pollution Hotline," Brewer said.

"Rubbish dumping is not pretty and it comes at a substantial cost to the community, not only financially but socially and environmentally too. While we do our best to clean up rubbish as soon as we are aware of it, it shouldn't be there in the first place."

In Tauranga, the number of people illegally dumping their rubbish virtually doubled over the summer holiday season.

Tauranga City Council contractors responded to 121 illegal dumping reports in December and at the start of January, compared to the normal monthly average of 64 reports.

A council spokeswoman said an additional 17 reports were referred to the council's bylaws team to investigate.

The spokeswoman said the council had previously taken legal action against offenders "but this very rarely happens".

The spokeswoman said as illegal dumping increased, so too did the need for funding such as rates to pay for the costs associated with the clean-up.