Visitor rubbish to be picked up, promises RDC chief

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 681, 8 April 1997, Page 3

Visitor rubbish to be picked up, promises RDC chief

Rubbish bags will not be left lying around in Ohakune even if they are not official council bags, acting chief executive Chris Ryan told the Waimarino Community Board last week. He said a short term solution has been adopted whereby a local accommodation agency operator has contracted to pick up any unofficial bags, and keep a tally of how many and how often they are left.

tive Chris Ryan said the council would be able to assess the size of the problem and then be in a better position to find a long term solution. "We recognise it is an issue that we can't go past." He said it seemed the community wants to "buy more service" so that all rubbish is collected. In a report to the Ruapehu District Council in February, councillors were told that

The problem of visitors leaving rubbish at the kerb in unofficial bags is thought to be greatest in Ohakune, although it also happens in Raetihi. When asked why a separate contractor was necessary to pick up unofficial bags, acting chief execu-

out of 919 properties in Ohakune, 556 have postal addresses outside the town, so that up to 6 1 per cent of households may not be occupied all year round. "Visitors have a poor record of using official bags," confirmed the report. "This has resulted in the use of unofficial containers being left on the street contributing to litter and a potentially untidy streetscape."