Auckland Council puts $200k towards solving problem of illegal dumping

Sick of illegal dumping in Auckland? So is Mayor Phil Goff and he wants you to do something about it.

In order to stem the problem of people dumping rubbish illegally, Auckland Council has allocated $200,000 towards a hotline number, new CCTV cameras, new enforcement staff and other measures.

The initiative is being spearheaded by Goff who has had a "gutsful" of illegal dumpers.

"Illegal roadside rubbish dumping has blighted our city, harmed our environment and burdened ratepayers with the cost of clean-up.

"I'm sick and tired of it, Aucklanders are sick and tired of it and I'm calling on members of the public to help us tackle the problem," Goff said.

The move was the first of a "series of initiatives" that would address the problem.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff. Photo / Greg Bowker

The first step was the introduction of the hotline service 0800 NO DUMP, which allowed people to report where rubbish is dumped so council could clean it up quickly.

"It [also] allows them to provide us with any evidence that would enable us to find the culprits and take prosecutions against them."

Three additional enforcement staff were also being added, bringing the total to nine.

While the hotspot areas for dumping were varied, the urban fringes near the countryside were a common location.

It was also happening in commercial and industrial areas as well as reserves, he said.

"There are particular areas where this is a weekly occurrence."

There was more illegal dumping seen in the south of the city than other places.

Council was working with police and the private sector, as well as using networks of CCTV cameras to get prosecutions of commercial operators that were dumping their rubbish.

Doubling the number of surveillance cameras in dumping hotspots was another factor in the council's plan to tackle the issue.

Three weeks ago the first-term mayor let rip on Facebook, posting photos of dumped barrel-loads of oil filters on the side of the road near his rural Ardmore home - which he'd spotted while travelling to work - and saying that he'd "had a gutsful" of illegal rubbish dumpers.

He called for a strict-liability rule for the owners of vehicles involved, for council staff to increase the low number of prosecutions, and for the public to dob in dumpers.

Council had been following up the oil dump with fingerprints, barrel serial numbers and CCTV footage to get enough information to prosecute commercial operators.

"I'm calling on our communities not to accept the irresponsible actions of a few individuals and cowboy commercial outfits, and to report illegal dumping."