Local authorities are calling for better product stewardship, with $2.4 million spent among 30 councils on clearing illegally dumped rubbish last year.
Rubbish mound Photo: 123rf
The total for New Zealand's 78 local councils would be much higher, with some not keeping track of the cost and others outsourcing rubbish collection to private companies.
Local Government New Zealand president Dave Cull said the figure spent on cleaning up was unacceptable.
"Any money we spend cleaning up what people dump illegally is too much. It's an unnecessary cost and an unwanted cost for councils."
He said the main reason people dumped rubbish was because the cost to take it to the dump or recycling centre was too high.
"If you've actually got to drive somewhere to illegally dump, the only difference between that and responsible and legal dumping is the cost, because you've still got to drive somewhere. I don't think people are likely to be throwing the rubbish out the front gate in front of their own house, they take it somewhere else."
The biggest spenders:
- Far North District Council: $124,031
- Whangarei District Council: $200,000
- Auckland Council: $960,000
- Hutt City Council: $132,347
- Christchurch City Council: $120,000
Mr Cull also said New Zealand lacked good product stewardship schemes, which could help with the amount of rubbish dumped illegally.
"If every time you bought an appliance there was an extra $15 or $20 on the cost, and that was the fee for disposing of it at the end of its life, that would mean it wouldn't cost people anything at the end so they wouldn't feel as if they had to dump because they couldn't afford to take it to a tip."
WasteMINZ chief executive Paul Evans said councils had a duty to clean up dumped rubbish and there was no quick-fix solution because the reasons people dumped were varied.
"There's five key reasons people dump - an unwillingness to pay, convenience because it's much easier to dump than to go to a proper drop off centre, some don't care about their community or the environment so it's an out of sight out of mind mentality, a lack of enforcement by local councils and the last reason is follow the leader, if one person starts to dump rubbish somewhere then other people see that as the social norm and do it too."
He said local leadership, encouraging community pride and having quality waste facilities were all important in minimising illegal dumping.
"It's about understanding that you need a really integrated approach. Just doing one thing really well is not going to solve it. There's no simplistic fix."
He said illegal dumping could not solely be attributed to cost.
"We see a lot of dumping in places that have relatively accessible and relatively affordable disposable options."
Mr Evans agreed that better product stewardship schemes could make a difference, especially for items like televisions.
"A lot of TVs are dumped in New Zealand so paying a bit extra when you buy it upfront could save it getting dumped at the end of its life."