3 days ago
Fly tipping: Name on a letter in pile of roadside rubbish? Be ready for a fine
If a letter with your name on it is found in a pile of rubbish left on the roadside, be prepared for a visit from your local council.
Proposed changes to the Litter Act would allow councils to ping fly-tippers long after they have fouled roadsides and private land and caused environmental harm.
Large piles of dumped rubbish cost councils around Hawke's Bay thousands of dollars a year to dispose of.
But Hastings District councillor Wendy Schollum said, as the law stands, even when a name and address are found, councils' hands are tied.
'Even CCTV footage is not enough,' Schollum said.
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'The dumper has to be caught in the act before we can do anything.'
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That's almost impossible when the fly-tippers use isolated roads or the cover of dark to dump their trash.
Schollum said councils were working under a law written in the 1970s, long before the explosion of fast food packaging and the rise in illegal dumping.
Under the proposed Responsibility for Reducing Waste Act, litter control officers would be able to issue fines using vehicle registration and ownership details inside rubbish bags to identify dumpers.
Councils would also be compensated by the offender if the dumped rubbish caused significant environmental harm.
Rubbish dumped on the Hawke's Bay Expressway near Kennedy Rd. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting)
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There would be tiered penalties based on the seriousness of the offence and compensation associated with the costs of removing litter.
Schollum said she imagined the council would have a warning system for different degrees of littering.
'We won't be turning up at your door waving a big stick. We will need reasonable evidence before taking any action.
'Someone throwing rubbish out the car window will not be treated the same as repeat offenders who don't care that ratepayers have to pick up the bill for their actions.'
Schollum said Hastings had more than 5200km of roads, and many of the worst-hit areas were on NZTA-managed land where the council wasn't allowed to clean up.
'What's more, roadside safety rules also block many community-led clean-ups. Which means rubbish builds up, public pride takes a hit, and ratepayers keep footing the bill for the limited clean-up we can legally do,' she said.
A spokesperson for the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) said the Government is progressing changes to make waste legislation more effective, clear and consistent.
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The changes would replace the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 and the Litter Act 1979, aiming to reduce inefficiencies and clarify the roles of central and local government and the waste sector.
'The proposals are based on building on and improving existing legislation, to ensure it is fit for purpose,' the spokesperson said.
Schollum said the proposed Responsibility for Reducing Waste Act was important.
'This is exactly the kind of smart, enforceable change our communities need.'
Consultations on the proposals closed on June 1.
The MfE spokesperson said feedback from the consultation will help inform further policy work and the drafting process it will undertake with the Parliamentary Counsel Office.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
