Clutha Mayor Juno Hayes has declared war on people who litter in the district.
In a hard-hitting statement yesterday, he let fly, leaving no doubt as to his feelings about those who throw rubbish on the ground or out of their car windows.
"I am disgusted at the behaviour of a minority of people who think it's OK [to litter]."
He basically issued a challenge for a change of culture when it comes to littering - by saying he wanted to challenge all Clutha residents to be far less tolerant of this type of behaviour. He also encouraged anyone who saw someone illegally dumping rubbish or littering to report the incident to council so the local authority could fine or prosecute those responsible.
Mr Hayes said the vast majority of Clutha residents took great pride in the cleanliness of their communities, and this was clearly evident in the strong response by schools and playcentres to take part in the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Clean Up Week, which started yesterday.
"However, it can be so demeaning and demoralising for those landowners who are frequently cleaning litter, dumped by other people, from the front of their properties. If we can make littering more socially unacceptable and get the small minority of people who persistently offend to change their ways, then we can generate even more pride in the communities most of us hold so dear," he said.
In July, the council introduced a new bylaw with a two-tier infringement system for those caught littering. Small to medium cases of littering can result in instant fines of either $100 or $400, while major cases go before the courts.
Earlier this year, a man was prosecuted for dumping rubbish near Clinton.
He was convicted and fined $1000 and ordered to pay $101 reparation after dumping a trailer-load of rubbish at a layby in September 2007.
