The bush around Ross Creek now features a full bag of polystyrene, an old lifejacket, a pair of dirty boots, multiple chairs, hoses, ropes and clothes.
The rubbish was scattered down a steep bank in Burma Rd in Ross Creek Reserve, less than 50m away from the entrance to the water treatment plant.
Local resident John Oskam discovered the dumping on Tuesday afternoon and said the sight was "disappointing".
"It’s quite insulting really to all our people who look after Ross Creek, and to the people who walk through there and admire the bird life — the nature is what we go there for.’
He said he hoped the "idiots" who did it got caught.
It was not the first time someone had dumped in that exact spot.
In 2023, Mr Oskam reported a cache of rubbish to the Dunedin City Council that some people had thrown down the bank.
He was annoyed to see it happen again.
He believed the dumping was not only due to laziness but also because the culprits may not have been able to afford tip fees.
"It might just be a sign of the times . . . they’ve just gone and used a place that’s convenient to them."
But, that was not an excuse, he said.
If they had taken the time to sort their rubbish, they could have got some money from a scrap dealer and got some money for the metal in the heap.
"I think it’s disgusting that they can do that and treat our city and nature that way as well."
Mr Oskam said if the rubbish was still strewn all over the place by the weekend, he thought it may be worth taking his own work truck down to clean the area up.
Council parks and recreation group manager Heath Ellis said they were aware of the rubbish and a contractor would be collecting it.
"It’s always really disappointing when we see this sort of behaviour, illegal dumping trashes our environment and adds costs to all ratepayers, so we encourage everyone to dispose of their rubbish responsibly," he said.
