Whangārei volunteers pick up 700kg of rubbish in two hours

Thirty people pitched in for two hours to clean up part of the berm and bank along the Hātea River. Photo/Supplied

A whopping 700kg of rubbish and recycling was picked up from the berm and hill side of a main Whangārei street in two hours.

The Love Whangārei Monthly Clean Up was held over two hours on Sunday and turned up a big pile of dumped trash. It's the latest

It targetted an area of Hātea Drive which started opposite the Discovery Settlers Hotel and stretched around 100 metres up the hill, taking in the sloping bank down to the Hātea River.

The clean up was organised by Nicholas Connop, the self appointed Whangārei rubbish wrangler and his partner Karen Lee, who started a group called F.O.R.C.E, For Our Real Clean Environment, and have been organising monthly clean ups since the start of the year.

"I knew there was a lot down there but I didn't quite expect 700kg," Connop said.

The group picked up plastic and rubber, bags of rubbish, various car parts - including a bonnet, bottles, cans and more.

Among the finds were old milk and soft drink glass bottles.

Connop said he was looking at putting them on TradeMe, and the proceeds would go back into the clean ups.

"Somebody might find some interest in them."

Connop said there is more rubbish in the area, both further up the hill and further into the gully area.

Seven hundred kilograms of rubbish and recycling was taken to the dump after being picked up from the side of Hātea Drive. Photo/Supplied

Sunday's event had the biggest number of people out so far.

"Last time we had 19, this time we had 30," Connop said.

He wasn't expecting too many people at first because showers were threatening.

He said they had their usual volunteers, as well as "a whole new mixed bag of people" which he said was pleasing to see.

"Everybody got stuck in."

Connop said the team atmosphere creates a sense of enthusiasm, and people feel like they can really make a difference.

"With all the people we had, if you add it all up, it's basically a week's worth of work for somebody."

He said the area looks "immensely better".

At the end of the clean up, the group sorted the items into recyclables and rubbish - 100kg was able to be recycled.

Connop said Whangārei District Council covered the cost of the disposal of the rubbish.

He said there was a groundswell of people wanting to take action against rubbish.

"With everything happening around the world, it's good people are actually taking notice now."

"The fact people are getting on top of it and things are starting up is awesome."

He encouraged everybody to pick up at least one piece of rubbish a day.

"It doesn't take much to pick up a couple of pieces."

The next monthly clean up is planned for August 11.

Keep an eye on the Love Whangārei Monthly Clean Up Facebook page for the location.

This month's clean up came after seven bags of rubbish and eight containers of recycling were picked up by around 30 ploggers and palkers around central Whangārei last Wednesday.

Caelan Stroebel sends a can into the recycling pile after taking part in the plogging and palking event while Mya McDonald and Aidan Stroebel watch on. Photo/John Stone

The concept of that event was to pick up rubbish while jogging or walking.

Only days before that, on July 14, Whangārei District councillor Gavin Benney organised Operation Clean Streets which encouraged people to pick up the rubbish in and around their neighbourhoods and drop it at designated spots.

Benney said more than 300kg of rubbish was collected, and more would have been picked up by people doing it in their own time.

In late June, Tikipunga man Bill Edmonds spent five and half hours picking up more than 1200 pieces of rubbish from the sides of Puna Rere Drive. He believed most had been thrown out car windows.

At the end of May, Benney spent two and a half hours picking up rubbish from Tikipunga roadsides, particularly along Vinegar Hill Rd.

Whangārei District Council spent about $200,000 in the last financial year cleaning up illegal dump sites.