More than 100 tonnes of illegally dumped rubbish counted in Hamilton

Supermarket trolleys, old mattresses, umbrella frames, whiteware, baby car seats, nappies, broken furniture, clothes, car tyres, food wrappers, plastic, and bags of household rubbish. This is the eyesore that greets Hamilton residents at illegal dumping sites dotted through the fastest growing city in the country.

And that list does not take into account litter strewn across roads and properties, at bus stops, down gullies and along the banks of the Waikato River.

Hamilton City Council cleans up an average of 11 tonnes of illegal dumping each month, or between 115 and 130 tonnes per year.

However, the maximum infringement fine the council can impose on dumpers is just $400. And only if they are caught.

So councillor Sarah Thomson is calling for action.

She has requested funding options to improve litter collection at bus stops and along streets, shorter clean-up response times, proactive monitoring for illegal dumping, and more support for community clean-up events.

Thomson put a motion to that effect to the council's Infrastructure and Transport Committee on Thursday, which was unanimously agreed.

"There's the worry that if we pick things up quickly people feel encouraged to dump more, but I take a different view that if you dump rubbish around the place people will see it as a licence to dump more because other people are doing it. And rubbish attracts rubbish."

Thomson also wants to know whether residents can buy larger rubbish bins, after they were made smaller four years ago when the council split household rubbish from recycling, glass and food waste.

At the same time, household rubbish in the smaller red wheelie bins was switched from weekly collection to fortnightly, alternating with recycling - which goes into a much larger yellow bin.

The council said since 2020 when the wheelie-bin service was rolled out there had been a steady volume of illegal dumping each year with an average of 173 complaints a month.

The motion also called for options to reduce the cost and transport barriers to households for taking rubbish to the city's transfer station in Frankton.

At present it costs $7.67 to dump up to 20 kilograms of rubbish there, but that jumps to almost $33 for amounts between 20kg and 100kg, and $73 for loads between 101kg and 200kg.

Thomson said by a third of the way into her walk to the committee meeting she had filled a large bag with litter she picked up.

"There's a psychological impact for everyone else who has to drive past or travel past that rubbish and feel stink about their neighbourhood and not be able to feel a sense of pride in where they live."

She was also concerned the Litter Act 1979 only allowed very small fines.

In the case of former Hamilton EV business owner Nicholas Down, who was convicted of illegally dumping a trailer load of rubbish under the Massey overbridge last year, he was fined $604 including court costs and council clean up costs.

Thomson said the prosecution would have cost the council significantly more.

For the 12 months to July 2023 the collection of illegal dumping cost Hamilton ratepayers more than $120,000.

Three sites across the city had caused the most angst, including a derelict commercial lot on Victoria Street where the old Biddy Mulligan's Irish pub stood before it burned down.

The other two were outside Kāinga Ora properties, including one where rubbish was dumped around a large tree on Peachgrove Road.

Kāinga Ora Waikato regional director Mark Rawson said that site had recently been cleaned up but on Thursday two full black rubbish bags had already been dumped there.

"Investigations have shown that the majority of dumping on this site is done from cars driving past, which makes enforcement challenging," Rawson said.

"The most recent investigation showed that rubbish dumped here came from households outside the city."

At the agency's other property in Sare Crescent, Kāinga Ora had spent about $5000 removing rubbish and $1000 installing a gate to keep dumpers out.

"An unintended consequence of us taking swift action to maintain our sites is that they can become targets for illegal dumping because people believe rubbish dumped there will simply be cleared. This places a financial burden on Kāinga Ora and exacerbates the problem."

The council said if people used the red bins correctly alongside the recycling and food waste bins, there was plenty of capacity for everyone

"People can take excess rubbish to the Lincoln Street Resource Recovery Centre.

"While there is a charge for general rubbish, there are lots of free options for items such as recycling (paper, cardboard, plastics, rinsed tins and cans), glass, food waste, electrical waste, batteries, and whiteware.

"Quality household goods can also be dropped off at the Lincoln Street Habitat for Humanity ReUse Store."

Councillor Ewan Wilson said rubbish dumped around Hamilton detracted from "what is an amazing city".

"It gives me an impression of a city that is struggling and a city that doesn't care and that is the furthermost from the truth when it comes to Hamilton."

The motion was unanimously agreed, with options to be presented at meetings in September and November.