Media Release 7th July 2008

Let’s keep it clean
Cleaning up Auckland’s CBD

A new initiative ‘Lets keep it clean’ is being launched today that encourages visitors, business owners, residents and other members of the public to do their bit in keeping Auckland’s CBD clean and rubbish free.

Led by Heart of the City, the initiative is a joint project between Heart of the City and Auckland City Council, with each organization contributing $50,000 towards the campaign.

Auckland City Council has a comprehensive rubbish collection service in place and works hard to maintain a clean CBD sweeping up rubbish throughout the day, 7 days a week. It also washes the streets regularly. However people continue to dump their rubbish outside of collection hours or simply do not use the rubbish bins supplied. This campaign is a reminder that everyone needs to do their bit to keep the inner city clean.

The advertising campaign kicks off 7th July featuring bus stop Adshels on Queen St that illustrate the effects littering and illegal dumping of rubbish would have over time on the look and feel of the CBD. Specialised Adshels have been created at Britomart and Vulcan Lane which have false fronts where trash and cigarette butts will be added on a daily basis. The aim is to highlight just how much litter is dumped and subsequently collected by Auckland City Council. Pavement stickers that state “cold, warm or hot” will be placed near rubbish bins acting as a guide to pedestrians as to how close they are to a bin. A communications pack is being sent to CBD businesses which include tips on how to keep the streets clean.

Hot on the heels of a $42 million upgrade of Queen Street and surrounding lanes, Heart of the City and Auckland City Council are committed to making Auckland’s CBD a world class destination for businesses, residents and visitors. This means intensifying the approach to litter and providing a clean, rubbish free experience.

“Here in Auckland’s CBD we have 10 times the pedestrian count of the second highest centre in New Zealand – a ringing endorsement for the importance of our CBD and the huge investment we have made here – but the downside is the size of the challenge to keep it clean. We all have to play our part and that’s what this campaign is all about!” says Alex Swney, CEO Heart of the City.

The initiative has significant traction in the CBD and is widely supported by local businesses.

Auckland City Council has shown a further commitment to keeping the inner city clean, recently announcing they will increase the number of cigarette butt holders and the frequency of street washing in the inner city. Now it’s time for the public and local businesses to play their part.

ENDS

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