Restore Rotorua's Tracey McLeod has been collecting rubbish in abandoned trolleys along Pererika St. Photo: Andrew Warner
A Rotorua woman who once took a weedeater to overgrown council grass is now tackling the city's "massive" litter problem.
Tracey McLeod said she filled seven abandoned trolleys with rubbish collected over seven months.
The litter in the city had worsened in spite of her efforts - and the more than $6.3 million a year the local council spent on rubbish and recycling, she said.
"It started to get quite gross," McLeod said of the rubbish she saw on the city's streets.
A recent pick-up included used condoms and sanitary pads, possibly thrown from car windows, she said.
"These people have got no shame."
Other litter included nitrous oxide canisters, empty drink cans and food wrappers.
A member of Restore Rotorua and Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers groups, McLeod said there was enough cleaning happening in the city centre, but it was a different story on neighbouring busy roads, such as Pererika St.
After cleaning the street last month, she wheeled a trolley of trash to the Rotorua Lakes Council building for it to be emptied and asked the council to pick up a bag that had not fit in the trolley.
She said the bag had not been collected as of Friday.
Rotorua Lakes Council infrastructure and environmental solutions group manager Stavros Michael said there had been an issue with the processing of McLeod's requests regarding an overflowing bin and a bag of rubbish to pick up.
"Both have now been resolved," Michael said.
McLeod said schoolchildren were partly to blame for the litter problem.
"I don't know whether it's a new generation, whether they've got a lack of respect for their environment, whether they're not having the environment studies," she said.
Rotorua Boys' High School backed on to Pererika St and McLeod said she had spoken to principal Chris Grinter about the litter issue.
Grinter told Local Democracy Reporting he did not believe there was a litter problem at the school.
"The school lunches we provide our students have certainly helped reduce waste, which has been great."
McLeod wondered if there were not enough public bins or whether they were not visible enough.
She suggested a bin design competition for school children to "foster pride in the appearance of Rotorua", or sports teams seeking sponsorship to pick up litter as a fundraiser.
Some of Rotorua's "Kermit-frog green" bins were missing lids or cracked, were past their use-by date, and some regularly overflowed with rubbish, she said.
She suggested council street cleaning could be extended to surrounding streets, including near schools.
"It needs to be a community joint venture, whether it's between the council, the schools, the residents.
"The problem's got quite massive and... presentation's quite important with it being a tourist town."
Michael said the council encouraged everyone to dispose of waste carefullly.
"Illegal dumping impacts the environment, as well as increasing council and the general community costs."
The council focused on education and working with schools and community groups to support waste initiatives.
"An example is the community of Lake Rotomā, they regularly organise volunteers to clean up in and around the lake.
"Council supports these groups with bags, gloves and disposal of the rubbish. These groups are shining examples of kaitiakitanga (guardianship)."
Michael said illegal dumping and littering was a community problem and not specific to one area.
There were 150 litter bins in the CBD and 656 in the city, while every household was supplied with one for weekly collections - so there was "no excuse".
"People have to take personal responsibility for doing the right thing in disposing of the waste they generate."
He said the council had not seen any increase of littering in Rotorua.
It had received 107 litter-related requests in the past six months, most related to bins that needed emptying.
The council can hand out $400 fines for litter offences or, in serious cases, prosecute offenders. Individuals could face fines of $5000 and body corporates could be fined up to $20,000.
One fine was issued in the first half of this year and three were imposed last year, Michael said.
Waste collection contractor Smart Environmental empties the bins and clears litter around some suburban shopping centres.
Rotorua Central, supermarkets and other "big-box retailers" took care of litter around their stores, Michael said.
Cleaning up litter in the CBD, parks and reserves was handled by Infracore.
"Litter on our suburban berms and streets is either tidied up by neighbourhood locals or when the road sweeper goes through under the roading contract."
In a year, the council spends more than $5 million on kerbside rubbish and recycling services, $891,813 servicing litter bins and responding to illegal dumping, and $334,264 servicing collection points. These costs do not include Infracore's CBD cleaning services and regular road sweeping. Contract costs have increased 6.7 percent from last year.
- Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air