KEY POINTS:
We have regular inorganic rubbish collections and the stuff is generally picked up promptly. However, I have noticed that articles put out on the verge at other times (television sets, sofas, any old tat) also disappear after a few days. Is this the council carrying out extra collections
to keep the suburb looking tidy, or is it scavengers and collectors? I've never seen anyone actually removing the stuff. Harriet Parker, Devonport.
Nic Quilty, waste contracts officer for the North Shore City Council, says if the council is told of rubbish on the verge it will arrange for a contractor to collect it, for two main reasons.
If the item is hazardous, such as a gas bottle, petrol tin or the like, it may be a danger to the public. And rubbish tends to attract more rubbish, so the sooner it is cleared the better. The council has a regular inorganic collection each year between July and November.
Jon Roscoe, solid waste manager for the Waitakere City Council, says he has four officers on the road regularly, looking for illegal dumpers. Some of the worst are commercial dealers, he says.
"They will, for example, destroy aluminium window frames left outside properties in order to take the metal, and leave the broken glass behind.
"The removal of illegally dumped items is expensive and time-consuming, and the rubbish can be dangerous for both the public and the collectors."
The council approaches property owners where items have been dumped, but usually they are not responsible.
Mr Roscoe's team uses camera surveillance to achieve prosecutions under the anti-scavenging bylaw. Regular inorganic collections are carried out annually, between January and June.
The Manukau City Council removes small items from street verges as part of the city's regular cleaning schedule.
The council's senior policy analyst for waste, Patricia Facenfield, says if the rubbish is large a compliance officer will ask the nearest householder if they are responsible, and to remove it if so.
The council does not object to scavengers in general, says Mrs Facenfield, because when people take dumped items such as TV sets it saves the council time and money. Manukau has regular annual inorganic collections.
In Auckland City, if the rubbish is safe, the council will take all possible steps to identify who placed it there, and then give them 48 hours to remove it.
The council has anti-dumping laws, says Warwick Jaine, the council's recycling and waste operations manager, and fines offenders when they are identified. If ownership cannot be established, the council will remove the offending items, generally within five working days or immediately if the items are dangerous. Public safety is a priority, says Mr Jaine. Scavengers take some stuff and small items are picked up during regular street cleaning. Auckland City has a scheduled inorganic collection every two years.
Councils in the Auckland region are discussing waste collection with ACC, the Labour Department, Land Transport NZ and the police regarding, among other things, the health and safety issues around manual waste collection.