Brazen dump on outskirts of Whangarei

Locals and Whangarei council staff are angry about the dumping of old furniture and household goods at Ngararatunua.

Ngararatunua residents are dismayed about a load of broken furniture and appliances brazenly dumped near the corner of Church and Pipiwai Rds.

An old bed and lounge suite comprised the bulk of items left on the parking area across the road from Te Paea Soldiers' Memorial Marae.

Local woman Janet Puriri said the rubbish must have been dumped there overnight on Monday.

Whangarei District Council (WDC) waste and drainage field officer Grant Alsop said it was disheartening to learn of another case of illegal dumping.

Mr Alsop said that while this latest drop would be easy to clean up, recent dumping around the district had been a costly headache, with most in difficult sites to access.

He was considering asking the community to design a sign asking people not to leave rubbish at the carpark.

A sign representing a community was sometimes a more effective deterrent than a official council sign.

Whangaruru School children made their own sign after a massive illegal dump was found in steep bush on Ngaiotonga Rd.

The sign reflected the pupils' concerns about their environment, Mr Alsop said.

In 2016 the Far North District Council spent $14,000 cleaning up that site.

Clean-ups at several sites cost WDC $200,000 in the last financial year.

A car body was among items cleared from dense native bush down a bank on unsealed Kaiikanui Rd, near Mimiwhangata last month.

Fridges, dryers, ovens, a TV, a bicycle, beds, household rubbish, recyclable items and more were in that pile.