Resourceful Rotorua

International and national evidence shows the removal and/or relocation of public litter bins in natural areas like parks, encourages people to take responsibility for what they bring in and dispose of mindfully.

A national litter survey showed 30 per cent of people said it was ok to leave rubbish on the ground near a full bin. An average distance between a litterer and a rubbish bin was 8.4 metres - shockingly, 44 per cent were less than five metres from a bin. It’s not the lack of facilities available but lack of care.

Findings from other areas optimising their public litter bins shows initially there’s an increase in loose litter until the behaviour change is accepted. Contractors will continue servicing areas and removing loose litter to ensure our environment is tidy.

The goal shouldn’t be creating enough space to dump everyone’s rubbish, it should be reducing the amount of rubbish produced overall. The increasing waste volume in Rotorua is not sustainable. Actions are needed now to reduce the amount going to landfill.

Council must balance being practical and having enough bins while not taking away from the natural character of our environment. We’ve found increasing the number of bins attracts more rubbish and that having bins in the wrong places can make littering worse. It is well demonstrated in research that people are more likely to litter in an area where there is already litter present.

By optimising litter bin placement and encouraging correct recycling and waste disposal we can reduce service and maintenance costs.

The initiative to remove or relocate public litter bins in natural areas like parks and reserves links to Council’s Infrastructure priority of protecting and restoring our natural environment.

This is not a new concept. Many other councils and organisations, including the Department of Conservation follow a similar ‘leave no trace’ principle. Visitors should have access to waste management facilities at their usual place of residence and tourists at their accommodation. The pay-to-view tourist attractions provide for their own litter management.

The bulk of litter managed by Rotorua Lakes Council in our urban, suburban and local recreational spaces originates from people living in the district. By removing or relocating public litter bins encourages all to rethink, reuse and reduce waste generated from daily activities.

Dog poo should be collected in a plastic bag and can be taken home or to visitor accommodation for disposal where public bins are not available. If you have a dog, plan ahead and keep a lidded container in your car to assist in transportation if smell or hygiene is a concern.

While some people take their rubbish away, sadly many dump it, causing safety and hygiene issues and attracting undesirable pests. Removing or relocating litter bins encourages less rubbish taken into our natural environments and reduces the amount of litter we are likely to see.

One in three public bins are being misused. They’re increasingly used for illegal dumping of household and business waste with Council spending a significant amount disposing of waste dumped by public bins and roadsides, incurring an avoidable cost to ratepayers.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful (KNZB) litter research shows the average distance between a litterer and rubbish bin was 8.4metres (44% were less than five metres from a rubbish bin). Again, it’s not the lack of facilities available but lack of care.

We want to divert as much waste from the landfill as possible. We can do this by recovering recyclable materials. Public litter bins are not effective for recovery of materials, containers are usually unclean and not able to be accepted for recycling.

The initiative to remove or relocate litter bins in local public parks and reserves encourages our community and visitors to take responsibility for what they bring into our natural areas and take rubbish home to wash and recycle.

Role model positive action and encourage your friends and family to do the same. We can also reduce the amount of waste we generate when visiting our parks and reserves by:

• Choosing foods with less packaging i.e. pre-cut fruit, home baking.
• Using reusable containers and wraps to store snacks and drinks
• Taking any rubbish you do have home, so recyclables can be washed, sorted and rubbish placed in our bins at home.

Call Rotorua Lakes Council Customer Solutions 07 348 4199 with details to report. Most instances of illegal dumping on public land in the Rotorua district, are removed within 24 hours of Council being notified about the site.

By reporting illegal dumping we can help prevent rubbish entering stormwater systems, rivers, and other water bodies, reducing water pollution. It also helps to prevent habitat destruction and can preserve wildlife.