Listen: What can farmers do with their rubbish?

Fish & Game wants an urgent audit of illegal rural dumps and is calling for them to be "outlawed," but Environment Canterbury says it's not so easy for farmers to get rid of their rubbish.

Canterbury-based environment consultant Megan Hands spoke to The Country today about the controversial issue of illegal rubbish dumping and what options are available for farmers.

Hands says although "we can always do better" when it comes to managing waste, Fish & Game has "jumped the gun a little bit instead of looking a little bit deeper into the options that farmers have."

There are different regulations for disposal depending on which region you're in says Hands. Farm rubbish dumps are allowed in most areas of the country "however we are seeing more and more of those being closed," and they come with many rules.

Farmers can also bury rubbish but once again, there are restrictions and Hands says it is better to focus on "good practice" rather than what people can and can't do.

"It's certainly good practice to try and keep it to a minimum and try and keep those organic things going in the hole and looking for a commercial site for your plastics."

However these commercial sites are not as readily available says Hands, an opinion echoed in The Country's Facebook poll where 77 per cent of 291 voters agreed there were not enough options for getting rid of waste.