The Desert Rd State Highway 1 has been closed for crucial maintenance work since January 13.
Roadside rubbish dumping is an “increasingly frustrating” problem, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) says, as it receives backlash for its handling of rubbish on the Desert Rd and detour route.
The Desert Rd State Highway 1, between Tūrangi and Waiōuru, closed in mid-January for about two months for roadworks. NZTA has a detour in place via (north to south) SH41, SH47, SH4, SH49 and back to SH1 in Waiōuru.
Ruapehu District councillor David “Rabbit” Nottage was appalled by the amount of rubbish being dumped on the roadside and at rest stops along the Desert Rd detour, which he said was impacting the beauty of the surrounding National Park area.
He suspected a lot of the rubbish was being thrown out of car windows, with the higher traffic flow along the Desert Rd detour leading to overflowing bins at rest areas.
During an attempt to take away some of the rubbish in his ute, Nottage found full nappies, cans and food waste littering the road.
“I was disappointed because I think people think it’s the council not doing our job picking it up, but actually NZTA is responsible for our highways,” Nottage said.
“We thought that with the increase in traffic volumes, they might have done a few more rubbish runs.”
NZTA regional manager of maintenance and operations Roger Brady said it was aware of an increase, mostly in fly-tipping, of rubbish at the rest areas along the detour route.
“Our maintenance crews are working together with the Desert Road closure project team to increase the level of monitoring over the remainder of the closure duration,” Brady said.
A significant amount of household items in large black bags had been dumped at a Horopito rest stop, Nottage said.
“We’re on the boundary of a dual world heritage National Park and it doesn’t send a good message to tourists,” he said.
Brady said roadside littering was becoming an “increasingly frustrating and unsightly problem” around New Zealand.
In the past five weeks, NZTA’s records showed 12 complaints were registered about litter on parts of SH4 and SH47. However, none of the complaints mentioned an increase in litter specifically as a result of the Desert Road closure detour.
NZTA had responded to the complaints by sending contractors to remove the rubbish.
Environmental charity Keep New Zealand Beautiful believes its proposal to clean up the Desert Rd while it is closed has been unfairly refused by NZTA.
Keep New Zealand Beautiful national support manager Wayne Gazley said despite repeated attempts to arrange a clean-up operation, the organisation’s request was “shut down by NZTA”.
“We could have volunteers out there right now with our grabbers and bags, cleaning up this important stretch of road that is in desperate need of attention,” Gazley said.
Brady said it was not possible to have a large number of volunteers working to collect rubbish within the closure as the area was a work site and it would be unsafe while trucks and large machinery were in operation.
Residents were still travelling within the road closure area which would significantly increase the risk for volunteers, he said.
“It’s a health and safety risk that would involve extensive supervision from NZTA contractors to ensure safety, which pulls them off the job they’re working hard to complete,” Brady said.
Gazley said while they appreciated NZTA’s concerns, the Desert Road was 63km long and it was unlikely the entire stretch was an active work site.
“We were open to working closely with NZTA to determine safe areas for our volunteers to operate, well away from heavy machinery.”
He said their plan had included strict safety measures including high-vis gear, solid footwear, mobile phones and working in pairs. Volunteers would have been transported in and out from designated start and finish points.
“This would have been a cost-free, two-day initiative to clear years of accumulated rubbish in a safe and efficient way," Gazley said.
Brady said contractors were prioritising the road rebuild and bridge deck replacement to get SH1 back open as soon as possible.
Nottage hoped people driving along the Desert Rd detour would think twice before littering, as it was impacting the smaller surrounding communities of Ohakune, Waimarino and Waiōuru.
“We’re all proud Kiwis when the All Blacks win something overseas, but we’re not proud Kiwis when it comes to keeping our roadsides clean,” he said.
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.