Waikato District Council is appalled at the ongoing collection of illegally dumped rubbish at the Mercer public toilets and rest area on Riverbank Road, at the Roose Road turn off.
The site is being used to dump general household rubbish despite a kerbside rubbish collection service in Mercer every Friday. The site is not a rubbish collection point and anyone leaving their rubbish there is doing so illegally.
Sue Duignan, General Manager Customer Support said it was appalling to see our riverbank treated like a dumping ground.
“Rubbish dumping is particularly a concern in this area because of the close proximity to the river; dumped materials can harm the local environment by killing birds and fish, damaging plants, soil and waterways” she said.
The rubbish is becoming a health concern and the Mercer community is at risk as large rats are frequenting the area.
She urged people to report any dumping they saw, and record any details of the vehicle involved (including the registration plate, colour, make and model of the vehicle) and the time of day so that legal action could be taken.
"People need to speak up, and communities need to stand together to stop this happening in their neighbourhoods. Council are facing high costs to continually remove the illegal dumping and this is coming out of their rates,'' she said.
Council does make efforts to identify people that dump their rubbish. When Council obtains evidence of the dumping it can issue a fine or consider court action.
If someone is caught illegally dumping they are fined $400. If the litter is injurious to health, such as glass, syringes, spiky metal etc, then a fine of up to $7500 can be issued plus the cost of the rubbish removal.
“We have installed signs at the site and we are looking at other methods to prevent people dumping rubbish, but the real solution is someone stepping forward to identify the culprits. Any information that Council receives it will act on.” Said Sue Duignan.
Any illegal dumping should be reported to Waikato District Council on 0800 492 452.
For more information please contact:
Nicole Nooyen
Communications Advisor
Waikato District Council
07 824 8633 Extn: 5649
027 889 3084
nicole.nooyen@waidc.govt.nz
