Cemetery trash dump gives ‘middle finger’

A pile of household trash, illegally strewn beside a ‘‘no littering’’ sign in BirkenheadGlenfield Cemetery, has sparked condemnation from residents.

The heap of inorganic rubbish, including a toilet and an oven, was dumped on June 3.

‘‘Dumping in front of the sign is just giving the middle finger to the neighbourhood,’’ June Terry wrote on the Beach Haven and Birkdale Community Facebook page.

‘‘It makes you wonder what their home looks like,’’ Gill Knight wrote.

Heightening the insult, the rubbish was dumped directly next to a council sign warning of a $20,000 fine for illegal litter and rubbish dumping.

Birkdale resident Mike Sayers said he reported the rubbish dump to Auckland Council on June 4.

On June 7, the rubbish pile still remained at BirkenheadGlenfield Cemetery and North Shore Times requested comment from Auckland Council. The rubbish pile was cleared the following day.

Council protocol for clearing illegally dumped inorganic rubbish allows them a 10-day response time from the initial report, but Kaipatiki Local Board chair Danielle Grant believes a rubbish dump at a site of sensitivity should qualify for a faster response time.

‘‘Ideally, around sites of sensitivity, and I would see a cemetery as a site of sensitivity, we would appreciate a fast response from council,’’ Grant said.

Auckland Council was alerted to some illegally dumped rubbish at the BirkenheadGlenfield Cemetery by contractors when they arrived on June 8 for a scheduled rubbish bin collection. The illegal rubbish was also removed at this time, head of operational management and maintenance Agnes McCormick said.

Illegal dumping costs ratepayers over $1 million annually.

McCormick said the 10-day response time can be shorter if it was a health and safety issue or sensitive in nature.’’

McCormick said council’s Waste Solutions team endeavoured to investigate every report of illegal dumping.

People can report dumped material on (09) 301 0101, or 0800 4684 3246 and leave a message giving details around times and dates, descriptions of the offenders and a vehicle registration, or send an email from the council website.

A pile of miscellaneous trash including wood, an oven and a toilet, was found dumped on June 3 at the Birkenhead-Glenfield Cemetery.