Clean up crew puts rubbish in its place
Nelson’s Maitai Valley Rd has had a good clean-up through the efforts of a hands-on community group.
Organiser Martin Love said the idea originated through Neighbourly’s Great Community Clean Up initiative.
He said he cycled through the area frequently and had seen a lot of rubbish on the side of road but never got around to doing anything about it.
Together with a group of eight other locals he put on gloves and headed out to the Maitai Valley Rd last weekend.
Love said he dumped a trailerload full of rubbish, containing about 10 bags, at the tip on Saturday afternoon.
He said they found ‘‘the usual stuff’’ such as cans, bottles and packaging from takeaways.
‘‘The quite surprising finds were an unused urinary catheter, home speakers, semi disintegrated car tires and a vacuum cleaner.
‘‘By the end of the day you really appreciate the guys that handle rubbish every day.’’
The group protected themselves with rubbish pickers, plastic rubbish bags, high vis vests and gloves.
‘‘We’re saying people should see it as an adventure and enjoy it,’’ Love said.
‘‘The weather is good and we got more people than expected.’’
He said the group was ‘‘pretty organised’’, with some people doing the road and others heading to adjacent car parks.
Love said he picked up garbage at the start of the Maitai Valley Road before the group assembled at Branford Park at 10am on Saturday.
They cleared the area of rubbish up past the Maitai Motor Camp until noon.
‘‘People spent an hour in some of the car parks, a whole family ended up spending 40 minutes in the car park on Sharlands Rd,’’ Love said.
The Maitai clean up project was the only one organised through the Great Community Clean Up project in Nelson.
The Great Community Clean Up was a nationwide event by Neighbourly and The Warehouse, which ran until May 3.
Love said the efforts of the group were ‘‘pretty impressive’’.
‘‘The guys that were working there today, their efforts were really amazing, there were kids, people on scooters, men and women.’’
Love said he would do it again, but maybe in a different area.