The council believes the rubbish has been dumped for several years. Photo: SUPPLIED
Years' worth of illegal fly tipping has been discovered down a bank at a scenic site on the South Wairarapa coast.
South Wairarapa District Council staff believe household garbage and industrial refuse has been thrown off a cliff edge at Te Kopi on the south coast for several years.
"Shame on them," said the lead councillor for community, climate and environmental wellbeing Rebecca Gray.
"I know that the cost-of-living crisis is hurting a lot of families but it seems that this has being going on for a long time, which points to malicious and intentionally irresponsible behaviour."
Council chief executive Janice Smith said the area at Te Kopi Cliffs was "off the beaten track, which suggests people are intentionally going there to dump rubbish and household items".
"This is threatening the quality of the water in the river below, which feeds into the ocean. The primary concern lies with leachate."
The dumping has been called "malicious and intentionally irresponsible". Photo: SUPPLIED
The leachate - that is, water that had percolated through a solid and leached out some of the constituents - contained hazardous substances such as heavy metals, organic compounds and pathogens, which could disrupt aquatic ecosystems, harm wildlife and pose significant health risks to humans, Smith said.
Another critical concern was waste washing out to sea during storms or heavy rain, endangering animals and humans alike in a popular fishing area.
The council, along with the Greater Wellington Regional Council and the Environmental Protection Authority, were working together to stop it by increasing surveillance and preventing vehicle access.
The built-up rubbish had to be cleared, and under law, that had to be done by the council - meaning that expense would fall on ratepayers, unless the council could find the people responsible.