Mail points to serial dumper
Letters bearing same name found at Hastings sites of fly-tipping
An alleged fly-tipper could have dumped rubbish unabated across Hastings for at least two years. recent post on social media had pictures of a large pile of rubbish dumped near Te Aranga marae in Flaxmere.
Some letters in the rubbish had the name of a person the poster believed was responsible for the fly-tipping.
“I was just going for a drive through our garden then I saw that, jumped out to see if there were names on anything and I found mail straight away,” she said.
She said she felt angry that someone would do that to the land.
“I would want them to learn a lesson, and understand why that is wrong in so many ways”
Another Hastings woman, who also wished to remain unnamed, had posted pictures in 2020 of a fly-tipping site on Ru Collins Rd, just off Mangaroa Rd, where she found letters bearing the same person’s name among the rubbish which included a pool.
“They dumped it about 10 metres from someone’s front gate.”
She said she made a post on social media immediately after discovering it and was soon contacted by another person who informed her of another pile of rubbish with the same person’s letters left outside White Truck Dismantlers Ltd on Omahu Rd.
She said she had notified the Hastings District council at the time and they promptly cleaned up the two sites, but they only sent letters to the suspected offenders.
She was in disbelief at what appears to be their continued offending over such a long period and thought more should be done.
“Nothing got done about it, because nothing ever seems to get done, they just get away with it. Or there might have been something done, but from the Flaxmere thing it doesn’t look like it even mattered to them.
“I see it all the time down Mangaroa road, but it’s like a pram, or someone’s washing machine. Not massive piles like that, not a pool.”
Hastings District council public spaces operations manager Wayne Fix said it was disappointing and the council dealt with fly-tipping almost on a daily basis.
He said under council bylaws flytippers could be issued with an infringement notice up to $400, while the Litter Act means they can be prosecuted with a maximum fine of $7500 and up to one month imprisonment.
“Investigations rarely lead to prosecution based on proof that the resident whose mail was found, actually dumped the rubbish – eyewitnesses and support from camera footage and regos etc would be needed,” he said.
He said he was unable to comment on the specific cases, but the council had heard of the dumping near Te Aranga marae and was not responsible for removing rubbish dumped on private property.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council group manager policy and regulation Katrina Brunton revealed in September that illegal dumping on public land in the region cost ratepayers $57,038.78 from the 2020-21 year.