Waging a war on litter

Keep New Zealand Beautiful Clean Up Week has arrived and council staff are out in force, helping to clean up some of the hot spots for litter bugs in the Taupo District.

In conjunction with Clean Up Week, council has launched a litter campaign that aims to make the Taupo District the cleanest in the country.

Groups of council staff have been out collecting rubbish to kick off the week, doing a sweep along Lake Terrace and around Two Mile Bay. Staff rubbish collection sessions are being held all week in Taupō, Turangi, Mangakino and Kinloch until Saturday.

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."

Keep New Zealand Beautiful Clean Up Week runs from September 12 to 18.