Bin there, done that

Visitors to Waitakere parks will have to take their own rubbish away. Debrin Foxcroft reports
Around the grassy fields and steel play equipment, litter bins are disappearing.
Waitakere City Council has removed them from parks across the city in a trial to reduce waste removal costs. But a few locals worry that removing the bins is not the answer to the city's waste problem.
Helen Overington lives and works in Te Atatu South. Some of her neigh bourhood's park bins have been removed and others may go soon.
``I work in a shop just opposite the Te Atatu park. It still has its bins, while others nearby don't. I would hate to see those bins go,' she says.
Mrs Overington believes locals will not become tidier just because there are no bins.
``There are a lot of people who have their lunch in the park and I think they will just leave their rubbish there. Already, there are quite a few bottles and papers on the ground - even with bins.'
She doubts people will carry their rubbish away with them. But not everyone agrees.
A neighbour of Durham Green, a Te Atatu South park involved in the trial, has no concerns about taking her rubbish home with her.
``I don't have a problem with it, but I guess it could be a pain with lots of children,' she says.
A council spokesperson says remov ing the bins could save up to $200,000 in collection costs.
``Because local park users generally tend to be nearby residents who use the facilities for short periods of time, they do not generate a lot of rubbish, so the trial may indicate that bins are not necessary,' says the spokesperson.
The trial runs until March. If the results are good, it will be up to local community boards to make the final decision on the matter.
The community boards and coun cil needn't look too far for examples of bin-less parks. Most Auckland Regional Council parks have not had rubbish bins for more than a decade.
Mace Ward, group manager of park operations, says the move has been successful but hard work.
``For us, it has been successful, though I wouldn't say it has been without challenges and we still spend $150,000 on litter management,' says Mr Ward.
``Before the policy came into effect, in the Long Bay Regional Park we were dealing with 10 tonnes of rubbish a year. Now we deal with less than one tonne.'
Promotion has been a big part of the regional council's strategy.
Manukau City Council still has bins in parks and North Shore City Council is phasing them out.