Freedom campers might one day have different coloured stickers on their vehicles so authorities can easily identify which campervans might be responsible for polluting the countryside.
South Island local authorities have backed a proposal to make it compulsory for all campervans to have stickers which identify what kind of waste storage systems they have.
Recent meetings of Local Government New Zealand zones five and six, which make up all the mainland's district councils, endorsed the coloured identification system and agreed the local government working group be asked to support the system and to ask the Government's help in introducing it nationwide.
Zone six chairman and Clutha District councillor Peter McPherson said the sticker system would ensure it would be easy to see from a distance whether a vehicle complied. Stickers could be issued as part of the warrant of fitness process.
The proposal aims to cut down on pollution caused by freedom campers who do not have onboard storage facilities for grey water and toilet waste.
With the growing popularity of freedom camping in recent years, local authorities have become increasingly concerned about potential health and environmental risks.
Mr McPherson said South Island councils were not the only ones concerned about managing freedom camping.
He knew the tourism industry was taking the issue seriously and he hoped to be able to work with them to develop the sticker project.
