Port Chalmers Community Board deputy chairman Steve Walker
carries two, of many, bags of rubbish dumped in recent
months, in bushes in Victory Pl, Port Chalmers yesterday.
Photo by Craig Baxter.
Steve Walker has been experiencing a bizarre case of deja
vu recently as a serial rubbish dumper pushes him to his wits'
end.
The Port Chalmers Community Board deputy chairman and Port
Chalmers resident discovered a pile of dumped household
rubbish opposite his home in Victory Pl about two months ago.
After a "horrific", "awful and very stinky" clean-up, he
thought that would be the end of the story.
Until the next day, when he discovered another bag dumped in
the same spot.
Once again, he removed the bag and disposed of it with his
household rubbish in a Dunedin City Council-approved bag.
But the game continued. Rubbish would be dumped every one or
two days and Mr Walker would remove it.
During the past month he has cleared about 40 bags of rubbish
and his household has gone from putting out a council rubbish
bag once every six weeks, to once a week.
"It intrigues me that someone is going to the effort of
putting all their ... [rubbish] in a bag and driving around
here to dump it," he said.
Fed up with what appeared to be a "habitual" situation, and
how someone was getting away with disposing of their rubbish
illegally, Mr Walker contacted the council two weeks ago.
Council solid waste contracts supervisor Peter Moroney said
council contractors were "patrolling" the area and a "no
illegal dumping" sign would be erected next week.
Anyone caught dumping rubbish illegally could face a fine of
up to $500, he said.
While the dumper was "persistent", most people who carried
out such activity slipped up in the end.
"We will catch you," he said.
- ellie.constantine@odt.co.nz
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