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Piles of rubbish are spoiling the landscape at one of east Auckland’s most scenic spots, and the problem isn’t new.
When the Times visited Musick Point in Bucklands Beach on May 20, there were several areas of illegally-discarded rubbish on the ground near the car park outside Musick Point Memorial Radio Station.
The only other signs of human life were two unoccupied vehicles in the car park and a senior citizen riding a bicycle.
One pile of rubbish underneath a large tree included alcohol containers, a book, cardboard, plastic bags and food containers.
Nearby, a number of items, including a cardboard box that had contained cans of alcoholic drinks, appear to have been thrown over the cliff’s edge.
At a third location, beside a picnic table on the grass, were three large plastic bags full of rubbish and a bag containing what appeared to be dog faeces.
Howick Local Board chairperson Damian Light says the rubbish dumping at Musick Point is “disgraceful”, especially given the area’s cultural, social, and environmental value.
“It’s illegal to dump rubbish on public land and breaking the law can result in fines or even conviction.
“Auckland Council spends nearly $3 million a year cleaning up illegally dumped rubbish.
“This is money that could be spent on delivering services that our communities need, not cleaning up after people too lazy to take responsibility for their rubbish.”
While rubbish and enforcement are regional responsibilities, the board is responding to local concerns by targeting dumping hot spots, especially in Flat Bush, with active and passive surveillance including the use of cameras, Light says.
“People are being caught and enforcement action is being taken.
“Use bins where they are provided. If there isn’t one available, take your rubbish home.”
A recent post on a local community Facebook page about the rubbish dumped at Musick Point drew almost 150 comments from people angry at the situation.
The person who created the post said the problem had worsened since public rubbish bins in the area had been removed, a point backed up by many of the commenters.
There is a rubbish bin located on the left-hand side of the entrance to Musick Point, but there are no bins in the car park by the radio station building.
The council is removing more than 150 bins from the local community as part of a $10 million cost-cutting exercise.
The move has been met with loud opposition from residents who say it will make it harder to keep local public spaces clean and tidy, particularly from dog faeces.
Last year Howick Local Board member Bruce Kendall called for five bins that had been removed from locations in Bucklands Beach to be reinstated.
He also wanted the council to attach signs stating “Please take rubbish home where sorting for recycling is best managed” to the most-used bins in the board’s area.
Kendall said prior to the bins being removed, residents would pick up rubbish and put it in a bin, but rubbish left on the ground now is being blown into the ocean, where it can harm marine life.
He’s also seen people throw rubbish out of their cars onto the ground.
Bins on Bucklands Beach Peninsula are filled to overflowing on a regular basis, Kendall said.
“Taking away bins in these locations is not resulting in a change of behaviour. It’s just got worse.”
The problem of rubbish dumping at Musick Point is not new, evidenced by a story by the Times in March last year that quoted two local residents who said they’d come across “a pile of rubbish dumped on the side of the road, a truckload by the volume”.
The residents reported it to the council and said they were told it was private property, but several days later the pile of rubbish had a sticker on it saying the council was investigating.
People can report illegally dumped rubbish to the council by phoning 0800 NO DUMP (0800 663 867).
People who see a rubbish bin that’s full, or rubbish on the ground nearby, can inform the council by phoning 09 301 0101.
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