HUTT CITY COUNCIL NEWS RELEASE

26 August 2016
The five oddest items dumped in Lower Hutt

When it comes to what people will illegally dump in Lower Hutt, Hutt City Council has seen it all – and then some.

Council staff often encounter items with a high yuck factor, including condoms, hypodermic syringes, animal carcasses and used nappies. But they are far from the most unusual or most common objects found dumped in the city.

Keep Hutt City Beautiful has been continually surprised by what it has found during its annual Clean Up Week. To mark the next Clean Up Week on 12-18 September and Keep Hutt City Beautiful’s 25th anniversary, it has compiled its top five oddest dumped items.

1. A statue of Hindu deity Ganesh. This was discovered by Keep Hutt City Beautiful’s diving group underwater near Petone Wharf.

2. Twelve rusting supermarket trollies. While abandoned supermarket trollies are a staple of many cities, the diving group were surprised to find so many in one place under Petone Wharf.

3. Motor vehicle lubricant. Four large drums of lubricant were found dumped on the bank of the Hutt River.

4. A collection of old vinyl records were found dumped down a bank. Either the dumpster had not heard of the recent vinyl revival or had a hatred for the recording artists, which included Cilla Black, Abba and The Bee Gees.

5. A stolen suitcase full of documents, found off Port Road in Seaview.

Sandy Beath-Croft, Council’s Environmental Sustainability Advisor says, “While the message has got through to most people that they shouldn’t dump rubbish, there’s a minority that are still making a mess and potentially harming our environment. This is one reason the annual Clean Up Week is so important.”

Ms Beath-Croft says registrations are now open for Lower Hutt residents keen to be part of Clean Up Week.

Keep Hutt City Beautiful will be joining more than 100 areas across New Zealand for the week. Last year around the country 43,000 volunteers were involved in more than 610 clean-up events in many places, including town centres, highways, waterways, parks and beaches.

“Clean-up events can be registered for any part of Lower Hutt. The fact we are celebrating 25 years of Keep Hutt City Beautiful is a testament to the community’s ongoing passion for keeping the city clean and helping it be great place to live,” Ms Beath-Croft says.

To register an event and receive a free clean-up kit, go towww.knzb.org.nz/cleanupweek

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