Xmas revellers’ mess stuns locals
Park user ‘sad and disappointed’ at piles of rubbish left by untidy Kiwis
Untidy Kiwis are causing consternation amongst locals upset to see “donated” goods strewn about on Auckland’s streets and mounds of rubbish left in a regional park this Christmas.
Bags of rubbish and dozens of empty beer and fizzy drink bottles left piled at Long Bay beach on Boxing Day were “appalling”, 11-year-old local Finn Shimwell said.
After seeing the rubbish while biking through the park yesterday morning he felt sad and disappointed.
“The park is a thing for everyone and it’s not good if people abuse it,” he said.
“The rangers do such a great job cleaning it up and it’s just really sad they have to do that.”
He asked people to be considerate and think about their actions.
“If you want the park to be nice and take your kids there, if you want to go for a swim, or a bike ride or a walk, don’t leave rubbish there.”
Auckland Council’s community facilities manager Agnes McCormack reminded people there was a “pack in pack out” policy at all regional parks, including Long Bay.
Visitors were to take their rubbish out with them, leaving the parks as they found them. “While it is disappointing to see some parks users leaving behind a mess, and others who appear to be illegally dumping their household waste, we have asked our contractors to visit the park today, clear away any rubbish, and to keep an eye on this over [coming weeks].” Anyone wanting to report dumped rubbish should phone Auckland Council on 09-301-0101. Meanwhile, pictures taken outside the New Lynn Salvation Army family store posted to a community Facebook group show rubbish piled outside the doors and strewn for metres along the perimeter of the shop.
Items included an armchair, a baby walker, a bookcase, a TV and mounds of clothing.
“That is absolutely disgusting! People just treat it like a rubbish dump,” one outraged local commented on the photo.
“So so stink. What a job to come back to for these amazing people after Christmas,” wrote another.
Another resident said they had seen people eager to donate quality goods who arrived when the store was shut and weren’t sure what to do.
Salvation Army regional Family Store manager Brian Rankin said the best way to avoid such a situation was to call in advance or check store opening hours online.
“Sadly, if something’s left outside we can’t guarantee it will make it inside . . . undamaged, which is why we do ask folks not to leave things outside a store if it’s closed,” he said.
“If people can’t drop stuff off when a store is open, they can call the store and we’ll send a van round to pick it up.”
Donations raised money for the work of the Salvation Army in that community and the organisation was grateful for what they received.
However the cost of disposing of unwanted goods used funds which would otherwise be used to help communities.
Part of that cost was inevitable when running a second hand shop, but the Salvation Army was always trying to keep the expense as low as possible.
The cost varied from store to store, but the annual national cost was just under 2 per cent of the Salvation Army’s annual turnover, Rankin said.
“We do try and recycle as much as we can and nationally through our sales we divert about 16,000 tonnes of rubbish away from landfills every year.”
Stores were closed on Christmas and Boxing Day and would be closed again on New Year’s Day and January 2, Rankin said.
“Some of our stores close for longer while staff and volunteers have a break. The easiest way that people can check what times and days their nearest store is open is on our website.
“That will also show the location and contact details of our other stores if their store is closed.”