Snack packaging tops NZ’s litter list
It’s hoped that knowledge will prove to be powerful when it comes to cracking down on Kiwis’ littering habits.
Snack-food packaging, disposable drink containers and paper have been identified as the items most commonly disposed of incorrectly as part of the latest National Litter Survey, released on Monday.
The report, which is the second of its kind, provides a snapshot of visible and bulky litter counted across eight regions, including Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, representing just over half of the population.
Lyn Mayes, manager of the Public Place Recycling Scheme (PPRS), said the annual survey was an important tool in figuring out which containers were most often littered in order to find sustainable solutions to promote correct disposal.
‘‘This latest litter survey provides a snapshot and a comparison which will be utilised in conjunction with qualitative Clean Communities Assessment Tool (CCAT) surveys conducted by project partner Be a Tidy Kiwi,’’ she said.
Litter is defined as material that had been improperly disposed of, intentionally or not, in a public place.
The study found that snack food packaging represented 10.5 per cent of all litter, with drinks bottles, cans and cartons not far behind on 10.1 per cent.
Waste Not Consulting conducted the survey, which saw a total of 17,735 items of visible and bulky litter counted in an area estimated to be 581,764 square metres.
‘‘The survey found an average of 30.5 items of litter per 1000sqm. In the last survey [2014/15] of exactly the same area, a total of 18,620 items were counted [32 litter items per 1000sqm],’’ director Bruce Middleton said.
While the reduction in litter items appeared to be a good thing, Middleton said it could be due to the number of storm events and heavy rainfall throughout the country during the summer. ‘‘These events resulted in more litter being washed off footpaths and roadways and accumulating in kerbside channels and stormwater drains.’’
The release of the National Litter Survey, in conjunction with the CCAT, will help provide different and complementary perspectives on litter.
The CCAT surveys, which are run by the Auckland Litter Prevention Steering Group (ALPSG), measure local efforts at litter prevention by rating landscaping, bin design, maintenance and servicing, while the Waste Not survey classifies visible litter in situ at a wider variety of site types.
‘‘We’ve observed a 29 per cent littering rate for Aucklanders, which is not good news,’’ said programme manager Richard Leckinger. ‘‘On the plus side, Aucklanders are quite honest about their litter offending, which is unusual and gives us hope that behaviour can change.’’
In the latest survey, cigarette butts and gum dominated the counts of what was found in Auckland’s busy public places, with paper, foil and plastic film wrappers following behind.
‘‘We’ve observed a 29 per cent littering rate for Aucklanders, which is not good news,’’ Richard Leckinger