Editorial: Littering deserves to be punished

We're lucky we live in New Zealand.

Our environment is, for the most part, clean and green and this is something we should all treasure.

It's something we can enjoy as part of our lifestyle, and something we can market to overseas visitors.

Unfortunately, not everyone thinks this.

There are misfits who seem to think our roads, roadsides and reserves are their own personal dumping ground for rubbish.

How often have you been following a car and, all of a sudden, fast-food paper and cardboard, or cans, come flying out the window and scatter over the road?

How often do you see rubbish dotted along the side of the highway, or spread over a piece of pristine reserve?

The issue of littering in the Bay is again in the spotlight, this time after Gate Pa resident Maxine Paterson told this newspaper of two separate dumping incidents near a reserve in Tom Muir Drive.

Local residents are illegally dumping their rubbish on the roadside about 80 times a month.

In the Western Bay council area, officials have received 78 callouts for illegal dumping in the past three months.

In Tauranga city, contractors are called to clean up rubbish dumped on the roadside about 50 times a month.

I find these figures, published on Tuesday, surprisingly high.

Are people so selfish they cannot be bothered ensuring their rubbish goes into a bin or taken to a refuse station?

It is not the first time we have reported on the problem of littering across the Bay.

Enforcement officers have used a number of tactics, including hidden cameras, to catch the culprits.

These offenders are taking a risk if they get caught and are reported to police.

There is a maximum penalty of a $5000 fine for depositing litter in public. Depositing dangerous litter, such as glass bottles that can break, can result in a fine of up to $7500 and up to one month's imprisonment.

Tauranga City Council is looking at changes under the Litter Act, so its infringement officers can issue fines of up to $400.

It is vital everyone takes pride in our environment and treats it with the respect it deserves.

Anyone who sees people litter should report it to police or council officers. People who litter should be ashamed. They deserve nothing but our contempt.