Island rubbish haul frustrates student

A marine studies student is frustrated by careless littering at one of Mount Maunganui's most iconic natural spots.

Mount Maunganui resident Josie Savage accompanied her boyfriend fishing off Moturiki - Leisure Island - yesterday morning.

"I'm not very good at fishing so I tried to fill in the time by picking up rubbish around the island," she said.

It did not take her long to gather an armful.

"Wine bottles, alcohol cans, cigarette boxes, straws, plastic bags, drink bottles, bottle caps, leftover KFC packets and polystyrene - and that's just the stuff I could reach."

Rubbish Josie Savage picked up on a walk around Moturiki. Photo/supplied

Worse than the litter itself was watching a half a dozen people stroll past it, she said.

"It only takes a second to pick up one bit of rubbish.

"If you ignore it then you're also part of the problem."

Also very disappointing was getting to the bin at the entrance to the island only to find it already full to overflowing.

Miss Savage, a Mount resident for the past three years, said the whole situation was extremely frustrating.

"All that rubbish lying around is going into the water and it's just so bad for the environment and the fish.

"This is nature, it is meant to be protected and treasured."

From shopping trollies rusting in the water off the island, to seals trying to eat jellyfish-looking plastic bags floating off Mauao, and tiny seahorses clinging to tyres and fishing wire in Pilot Bay - the keen diver has seen the tragic impact of littering on marine life.

She would like fewer people "using and abusing" the area's beautiful natural spaces and more locals stepping up to help keep it clean.

Miss Savage's public Facebook post about the experience garnered a reaction of 400-plus on Facebook yesterday.

The bin nearest the island was already overflowing. Photo/supplied

One local doing something about beach litter was Brenna Roband, who had lived at Mount Maunganui for 2.5 years.

Ms Roband was organising a pre-summer volunteer rubbish clean up of the Mount beaches at the end of this month.

She did the same at Labour weekend last year, when 20 volunteers picked up 100kg of junk.

They found Leisure Island was one of the spots worst hit by litterbugs. The volunteers even found tied up bags of rubbish visitors had clearly collected and left behind.

"It's just not getting to the bins."

Both women believed extra bins, or more monitoring of the existing bins, on or near the island might help deter litterbugs.

Love Your Coast - Mount Beach Clean Up

When: Saturday, 28 October, 4pm to 6.30pm
Where: Mt Drury Sound Shell, 24 Marine Parade
Bring: Your own gloves and a sack if you want, but everything will be provided
What: Register on the day and pick up bags and gloves, then spend a couple of hours picking up rubbish of Mount beaches - or your own beach - before bringing it back to be weighed and sorted for recyclables.
Contact: Brenna Roband: projectsbybren@gmail.com