Putting litter in its place this summer
Over summer, Auckland’s beautiful parks, beaches and Hauraki Gulf islands are flooded with day-trippers, campers, and holidaymakers.
To make sure these ‘jewels in Auckland’s crown’ continue to sparkle in the summer sun, Auckland Council is encouraging everyone to Be A Tidy Kiwi while out and about these holidays.
The Be A Tidy Kiwi Band Together campaign asks Kiwis to pledge and do the right thing this summer by putting litter in its place.
Auckland Council does provide and service public place litter bins in urban streets, beaches, and parks across the region. Waste contractors have plans in place to maintain service levels during the busy holiday period, when lots of people are out and about enjoying the summer sun.
“We want to see everyone putting litter in its place while they’re out and about so that our parks and beaches are free of unsightly litter,” says Parul Sood, Programme Director Waste Solutions.
“We’d also like to remind Aucklanders and visitors to our beautiful city that public place litter bins are designed for small pieces of litter from passers-by and don’t have the capacity to deal with large quantities of waste.”
So, if you’re planning a picnic or day trip with a group of friends or extended family/whānau to a beach or park, or you’re having an outdoor takeaway treat, make a plan to take your waste away with you and dispose of it responsibly in your kerbside waste or recycling bins.
“It’s great when people think about their waste ahead of time whilst they’re planning their holiday trips. We encourage people to ‘pack in and pack out’", says Parul.
"When you’re packing in, try to pack up your food and other items in reusable containers, wherever possible, and then remove any excess packaging before you leave the house. For the other items, take a couple of extra bags with you and make sure you take the leftover waste home."
If you do spot an overflowing public place litter bin, while you’re out and about around Auckland this summer, please call the council on 09 301 0101 to report it and arrangements will be made for a contractor to clear the bin.
To find out more about how you can be waste-wise this summer, visit Auckland Council's Make The Most Of Waste website.