Whanganui contributing to New Zealand’s “alarming” littering problem

Littering across New Zealand has worsened, with a study showing Whanganui is a contributor. Pihoto / Bevan Conley

The amount of litter in Whanganui has increased since 2019, with a study revealing a nationwide rise that challenges New Zealand’s “clean green image”.

A national audit by Keep New Zealand Beautiful (KNZB) found litter in Whanganui increased from 6.89l per 1000sq , in 2019 to 38.40l in 2022.

Heather Saunderson, CEO of KNZB, said the government and industry needed to take immediate action as well as individuals.

“The audit results really speak to the fiction of New Zealand’s clean green image,” she said.

A team of field researchers collected litter from specific fixed sites in cities and regions across the country to record the data.

They found that in Whanganui in 2019 the most common litter material types were cigarette butts and vaping rubbish but in 2022 this changed to plastic material.

Industrial sites had the biggest increase of litter out of all of the fixed areas that were surveyed in the Manawatū-Whanganui region.

Overall the study showed that across the country New Zealand’s litter problem had become worse since 2019.

“The results of the 2022 NLA are surprising and alarming, even off the back of years of Covid-19 restrictions,” Saunderson said.

KNZB hopes the data from the study can be used to highlight the need for their education and behaviour change programme to tackle the litter problem.

“When it comes to litter in New Zealand, it’s more important and urgent than ever.”

KNZB’s Backyard and Upstream Battle programmes also allow scientists to contribute to a second dataset to the NLA and further generate litter intelligence.

The National Litter Audit was carried out in conjunction with Stats NZ, the Department of Conservation and the Ministry for the Environment.