By Mary Afemata, Pacific Media Network
Offenders caught illegally dumping rubbish will be ordered to remove the rubbish and may be issued with a fine of up to $400. Photo: Pacific Media Network
Community leaders in South Auckland have taken a novel "name and shame" approach to stopping illegal dumping in their area, but not everyone is on board with these tactics.
Overflowing piles of waste around the Māngere Town Centre has been a constant criticism of the suburb's shopping district.
But rather than ignoring it, Toni Helleur and her team at the community-focused charity I AM Māngere decided to employ some more proactive measures to curb the constant eyesore around the area's shops, including name and shaming culprits on social media.
"What we wanted to do was just assess what was going on at the town centre, because it's been an issue for so long," the I AM Māngere chief executive says.
"We had to start really hard. So that's where we kind of did the name and shame. We had to get to the bottom of it."
The group have been in touch with a couple of families and worked with them to ensure it does not happen again, she said.
There have also been individuals saying their mail has been dumped amongst someone else's rubbish.
"We understood that … it's quite natural to have other people dumping rubbish. I mean you could go just visit Mum and Dad, put your mail in there, and it ends up wherever, you know?"
Toni Helleur. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Council
Auckland Council received an average of 43 reports of illegal dumping a day and it cleaned up 145 tonnes of illegally dumped items every month.
General manager waste solutions Justine Haves said some private waste removal contractors had also been caught out for dumping rubbish illegally.
"While we do not name and shame, we certainly understand the community's frustration with this behaviour," she said.
"On more than one occasion, we have traced the owner of dumped rubbish to find they had paid an unlicensed person to remove it. This person has then pocketed the money and dumped the rubbish illegally."
Fitz Manase, who had been assisting I AM Mangere and ran the twosevenfive clothing shop in the town centre, said it was clear the "name and shame" tactics were working.
"We had a three-week campaign of just calling people out and warning them … and it's eight to nine weeks on from when we first started.
"And yes, the dumping has pretty much come to a halt on one side of the town centre."
Fitz Manase. Photo: Pacific Media Network
Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board chairperson Tauanu'u Nick Bakulich said while illegal dumping was a "terrible" issue blighting the community, using social media to shame people was not an approach his board endorsed.
"I think it is terrible … that people choose to dispose of their rubbish that way. You know, it's just not acceptable that you think it's okay just to rock up and drop it off in a public space.
"[But] we've got to be careful around that kind of approach … in terms of putting people's names out on social media, you know, because there are, one, privacy issues … we just don't know what that person's situation is in their homes."
Instead he would rather people investigate getting a bigger bin.
"What we have been advocating for here in terms of the local board is the council doing away with the administration fee because there's a $40 fee to get an upgrade in the bin size, which is a barrier, you know, for our community."
Helleur said their next focus was on educating people about better ways of disposing of their waste
"I think that's just what we've got to head into next, is to really educate our community about what you can do with your rubbish [and] support them.
"So show them where you put that kind of rubbish. If they can't afford it, we'll try and come up with ways to help them remove that rubbish."
Haves pointed out Auckland Council also provided ongoing funding to local groups to prevent illegal dumping through community-led solutions, which included teaching the public how to reduce and manage their waste.
And Haves strongly advised people only use approved licensed providers when paying for rubbish to be removed, by asking for their license number or calling Auckland Council and asking to speak to the waste planning advisor.
"Offenders caught illegally dumping rubbish will be ordered to remove the rubbish and may be issued with a fine of up to $400.
"Serious offenders may also be prosecuted under the Litter Act 1979 with a maximum penalty of $30,000. Only in the event of a prosecution, would the offender's name be public."
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.