This dump in a Far North reserve is finally being cleaned up, but it's taken almost a year of organising.
The roadside dump that has polluted a reserve for 11 months is also littered with several ironies.
The illegal tip is in the Ngaiotonga Scenic Reserve. Irony number one.
It is located about 20km from Russell.
A visitor complained to the Far North District Council about it in January.
So it has been there longer than 11 months.
It will cost $14,000 to clean up.
That money will come out of ratepayer funds, in a district, like many, where the high cost of taking rubbish to the dump is a contributing factor to illegal dumping. Another irony.
If you don't think illegal dumping is happening elsewhere, walk up to Whangarei's Mt Parihaka summit via Memorial Dr some time. You will see and smell rubbish.
There have been six $100 fines issued after "evidence" was gathered from the rubbish at the reserve tip. One of those fines has been paid.
At this rate, only another 139 fines to be collected and the clean-up cost will have been paid for.
$100? Hardly a deterrent to do it again.
And a final irony. Or two.
The dump is on land deemed to be pristine enough to be designated a reserve.
And yet for at least 12 months a portion of it has been polluted by waste from lazy humans.
Humans whose health and safety was a factor in the delay in cleaning the mess up.
While the health of the land beneath the waste suffered.
That's just not good enough.
There is a positive though.
The planning and practical experience of finally getting around to cleaning up this mess will provide valuable "know how".
Hopefully means next time this happens, it won't take almost a year to sort out something embarrassingly pointed out by a visitor to our clean, green region.
The worker logged 437 hours in five weeks - all of which was unpaid.