CONCERTED PLAN ON RUBBISH DUMPING

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29269, 29 July 1960, Page 8

CONCERTED PLAN ON RUBBISH DUMPING

By concerted action in offering free dumping facilities at agreed Saturday hours, Christchurch metropolitan local bodies hope to abate the problem of illegal and unsightly dumping on roadsides, reserves, and riverbeds. Representatives yesterday decided to recommend to their councils that:—

(1) Pits be open at agreed hours at week-ends. (Most favoured Saturday mornings only). (2) No charge be made for dumping rubbish at this time. (3) Wide publicity be arranged through the Canterbury Public Relations Office on the location of dumps and the week-end facilities agreed on. (4} The public be urged to take advantage of this service for disposing of bulky rubbish and also abolish the common habit of throwing papers and packets down in public places. (5) All local bodies’ staffs be asked to report cases of illegal dumping. Present Arrangements

The present situation (according to reports at the meeting) is that the Christchurch City Council has its pit in Pages road open cm Saturday mornings and makes a small charge; the Waimairi County Council opens its pit in Bums road for somewhat longer hours on Saturdays and makes no charge; the Paparua County Council has its pit at Hornby open on Saturdays and charges; the Riiccarton Borough Council has no pit of its own but collects bulky rubbish during the week for a small charge and puts it in a private dump for the use of which it pays; the Halswell County Council has no dump and provides no special services; the North Canterbury Catchment Board has no authority to open a rubbish pit on its properties. The problem was most serious in the autumn when householders were clearing up their properties; but roadsides, unoccupied reserves, and riverbeds had a good deal of rubbish dumped there mostly at week-ends, it was reported. Since some local bodies opened dumps on Saturdays (at a charge or not) there had been some lessening of the nuisance and further improvement in one area resulted from some “detective work by the engineer” who found addressed envelopes and traced offenders and also from other prosecutions. If the public knew where dumps were open on Saturdays free of charge delegates considered things would improve quickly. Technical officers, who conferred after the last conference, recommended yesterday that a parttime inspector be engaged to cover all areas; but the council representatives considered that such a man‘s task would be hopeless. Better, they said, to ask all local body staff to report cases of illegal dumping. There was no disagreement that charges could be waived at weekends.

Mr E. Somers (city engineer)

said though 60 to 80 persons paid to dump rubbish at the Pages road pit on Saturdays, he thought his cotmcil would waive the charge in the interests ot the combined campaign. “It certainly costs all ot us more to clean up roadside rubbish than it would to put a man in charge of the pit for a few hours,” said Mr A. R. Blank (Waimairi county chairman), “Ratepayers consider it unreasonable to pay again when they cart rubbish themselves. The more authorised dumping places we provide, the better will be the result. I’ll guarantee that fewer than 5 per cent, of the population know where present dumps are.”

Mr D. P. McLellan (Waimairi county engineer) said maps indicating dumps and fingerposts on the roads would be the most helpful publicity. When one delegate asked whether the three dumps bow open on Saturdays were sufficient and handy enough for all parts of Christchurch, Mr Blank said: “Most of the illegal dumping goes on toward Harewood and the Waimakariri riverbed It’s shorter to go to any of these dumps.” All recommendations are subject to approval by local bodies.