18 January 2018
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Illegal dumping
Enquiry
Seeking information regarding rubbish dumpers:
- How much did the council spend in 2017 and every year for the five years going back to 2013 (inclusive) cleaning up illegally dumped rubbish? (asking the five years to show a comparison if the costs are getting less or more).
- How much did the council spend in total for
- What was the single highest cost for one clean up?
- Where are the most frequently clear sites?
- Do you have a breakdown of costs per dumping site?
- Has the council ever taken a prosecution or fined anyone? If so, how many in 2017 and every year going back to 2013?
- Any other general comment about how the public can help, what we should do when we see rubbish and any quotes of encouragement to use our landfill.
Response
From Rotorua Lakes Council's General Infrastructure, Stavros Michael:
We of course encourage everyone to dispose of their waste responsibly. Illegal dumping impacts the environment, as well as increases Council costs.
Our current approach focuses on education and working alongside schools and groups at community level to support community-led initiatives. Illegal dumping is a community problem and people have to take personal responsibility for doing the right thing in disposing of the waste they generate. Most people visiting and living in Rotorua do the right thing and we urge residents to be vigilant in reporting and discouraging illegal dumping to help reduce the problem.
It's not an issue that's unique to Rotorua. Here illegal dumping represents some 0.5% of the 50,000 tonnes of waste generated in the district, compared to an estimated 3 - 5% of the 3 million tonnes produced nationally each year.
In the past five years, the average cost of illegal dumping clean-up in Rotorua was about $100,000 a year. We don't record the costs per clean-up - the cost varies widely depending on the size of clean-up and terrain. Sometimes specialist equipment is needed. Mobile surveillance of dumping hot spots such as Mountain Road, Paradise Valley Road and Violet Bonnington Reserve continues, in an effort to deter dumping and collect evidence to prosecute offenders when possible. We have not prosecuted anybody in the past five years but have issued infringement notices and warning letters. Prosecution is difficult - items like mail found in dumped waste with a person's name and address on it isn't necessarily sufficient evidence that proves they did it.
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Media: Seven Sharp
Topic: Freedom campers
Enquiry
Here at Seven Sharp we are looking into a story around freedom campers. We know this has been, and still is a hot topic, with tourists, locals and councils.
-What, if any, are the bylaws in place at your council?
-Are there any particular trouble hotspots?
-Are you able to detail the main problems that freedom campers cause in this area?
-What, if any, are the proposed solutions to these issues?
-Is the council able to put a number on how many freedom campers flock to this area, and which areas are most popular?
-Would you like to see this issue dealt with by Central Government rather than Local Government?
Response
Below is just a background update following on from the media response we provided to you in November:
Council has limited the number of overnight parking spaces available at Trout Pool Road to avoid the congestion that was occurring last summer. This appears to be working well with locals, rafters and kayakers who alongside overnight visitors are now able to use the space.
*See below the information provided to Seven Sharp in November regarding freedom camping (as referred to in today's response above):
From Rotorua Lakes Council's Sports and Recreation Manager, Rob Pitkethley:
Council currently has no bylaw on freedom camping so we are unable to issue infringement notices. However, results from many other Councils show that a bylaw doesn't necessarily fix the problems that may arise from freedom camping.
Last summer, freedom camping was an issue at Hamurana Reserve after an online camping app, that relies on people's feedback, incorrectly promoted the reserve as a freedom campsite. Council has also noticed freedom camping at the permitted site on Trout Pool Road in summer is becoming so popular it is affecting other users and periodically the Rotorua Lakefront Reserve has numbers of freedom campers who need to be moved on.
People in self-contained campervans generally cause very few problems and the Council supports a number of sites where these can be parked, in the city and at various lakes. We' have had reports of freedom campers in non-self-contained vehicles who often park at reserves where there are toilet facilities, which is less concerning than those parked at sites with no facilities. Nationally it has been recognised that the wide range of freedom camping bylaws used by different councils has caused confusion for tourists and there is currently a national review of these bylaws underway.
A consistent national approach to freedom camping would help alleviate some of the problems around freedom camping and in turn help campers know what to expect. For the meantime, to help campers visiting Rotorua, we have increased signage in some reserves to let campers know that certain locations do not provide freedom camping.
We're working with local community groups in some areas and exploring ways they can help manage freedom camping, which is working well at Boyes Beach, Okareka. The Lake Okareka Community Association manages the camping area on behalf of the Council and generates revenue to put back into reserve improvements. This location is popular and can cater for up to 30 campervans, which sometimes reaches capacity in the summer.
