Time is up for litter bugs

Taupo District Council is about to wage a war on litter.

Teams of council staff will be taking to the streets around the district next week for the launch of an anti-litter campaign that is aiming to make sure the Taupo District is the cleanest in the country. The launch coincides with the nationwide Keep New Zealand Beautiful Clean-Up Week.

Chief executive Gareth Green says the Taupo District's litter problem has increased over the past year, with around 1.8 tonnes of litter being collected each week throughout the district.

That's simply unacceptable and it's about time we as a community called time on people who are not doing the right thing, he said. It costs ratepayers around $400,000 a year for the council to manage the problem, which is money that could be better spent in other areas.

We all need to take responsibility for sorting out this issue, and contribute to looking after the place we love.

While having a vision of the Taupo District being the cleanest in New Zealand may seem a lofty goal, Mr Green believes it is achievable, particularly if the community gets in behind it.

It's easy to make a difference. If we all picked up one piece of litter a day that would be 33,000 fewer pieces of rubbish on our roads, lakefront and parks and reserves. Visitors also need to get the message that while they are here they need to do the right thing.

Don't throw litter out of your car window. Put your cans, bottles, pie wrappers and takeaway containers in a rubbish bin and securely cover your trailer when you're taking refuse to the landfill.

Mr Green said it was also unacceptable to dump animal carcasses, old whiteware or green waste in public places.

Hunters should practice disposing of their kill responsibly and in most cases whiteware is free to recycle at landfill. Small loads of general waste only costs a few dollars to dispose of, which is a small price to pay for the health and safety of our community.

There is no excuse for the litter bugs in our communities wasting ratepayers' money on cleaning up their lazy mess. If we work together to look after the place we love, we can all make a difference.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful's Clean-Up Week runs from September 12 to 18. Taupo District Council staff will don rubber gloves and arm themselves with rubbish bags before heading out into the community to help rid the district of as much litter as possible.