In two dives, volunteers pulled up everything from beer cans and bottles to hats, towels and a boat engine cover. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
In two dives, volunteers pulled up everything from beer cans and bottles to hats, towels and a boat engine cover. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
Boaties and swimmers alike are being told to take responsibility for their lakes as everything from beer bottles to mouthguards and cans have been retrieved from the bottom of Tikitapu.
Rotorua Lakes Coastguard volunteer Barry Grouby said the coastguard lost its boarding ladder while patrolling the Flochella event on February 5 so two divers went searching for the ladder in Tikitapu (Blue Lake) after the event.
"In those dives they brought up quite a bit of rubbish," Grouby said.
Grouby said he was shocked as the divers brought up enough to fill a large rubbish sack, though admitted some of the rubbish would have accidentally fallen from boats.
Coastguard volunteer Barry Grouby was shocked by how much rubbish was pulled from Tikitapu. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER
"We can't blame accidental rubbish but just they [the lakes] are Rotorua's heritage. We're very lucky to have the lakes we have. We've got to be careful and take our rubbish home, and try not to lose too much over the side."
Grouby said more rubbish bins wouldn't go amiss over the summer period.
The volunteer of 10 years suggested more rubbish bins during busy periods and questioned why iwi didn't do more.
In 2012 divers from the Tauranga Sub Aqua Dive Club cleaned the lake bed and removed a large trailer-load of rubbish featuring everything from truck tyres to cell phones.
Te Arawa Lakes Trust chairman Sir Toby Curtis said Rotorua's lakes were everyone's responsibility.
"For a good 100 years the lakes have been well kept so let's not change that because someone dumped rubbish in the lake," Sir Toby said.
"Find a process everybody can live with and are happy with and realise the lakes are as much theirs as anybody else's."
Sir Toby wanted to see more signs around the lakes saying the dumping of rubbish was prohibited.
Rotorua Lakes Council infrastructure general manager Stavros Michael wanted to remind people to use common sense when disposing of rubbish and take it with them if bins were full.
He said bins were provided at high-use reserves in the district.
"Often in busier areas we increase the number and size of bins although this is sometimes seen as an opportunity to dump household rubbish, which has occurred this summer at our transfer stations and other lakeside reserves," Michael said.
"During the busy summer months bins at popular lake reserves are emptied at least once a day, reverting to twice weekly in the off-peak seasons."
ZM content director Ross Flahive said Flochella organisers took extra steps to make sure rubbish wasn't left behind following the event.
"Thirty bins were on site at the event, with staff walking around with rubbish bags picking up rubbish for the entirety of the event," Flahive said.
"All rubbish was picked up post the event, including driving up and down the road to check for more rubbish. Two divers were in the lake the following day picking up rubbish from the lake bed."
Rotorua Lakes Council sport and recreation manager Rob Pitkethley said the organisers of Flochella and the bomb competition had worked to minimise the impact on the reserve by providing extra bins.
He said divers the next day collected about "a bucketful of rubbish".
Michael said organisers had not anticipated the number of discarded floaties at the event which took up a lot of bin space. Though the specific amount of rubbish removed during the event was not recorded.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council's harbourmaster said rubbish in the lake wasn't a navigation safety issue.
A council spokesperson said no issues had been logged through the council's pollution hotline which is a 24/7 service on 0800 884 883.
The news follows an NZME series on illegal dumping in New Zealand.
