Looking for Auckland residents with a concern/passion/interest in the state of Auckland's 'Loose Litter' problem

Maria from Mount Wellington

Hi, I have been a resident of Auckland- a city I was proud of, but the pride has disappeared, and I am ashamed of the way Auckland now looks. Auckland Council have changed the way they clean our streets. Up until a few years ago, the council paid people to sweep the streets/ pick up litter constantly. It was called 'proactive' cleaning. Now they have a new way of doing things- its 'reactive'. So, in short, they will send the contractors out to pick up 'loose litter' if you call the Council or log a pickup job on their site. This has resulted in bottles, cups, paper, litter, takeaway rubbish etc. collecting on the berms, in the gutters, on the road, under council plantings, well just about everywhere you look. It is a result of people completely disregarding the environment we live in and think nothing of tossing rubbish out windows, dropping it in the street etc. I knew the state of Auckland had deteriorated but in all my questioning no councillors could or would tell me why, until of late when somebody from the council explained this change to me. So, I spend hours every week logging jobs. I take photographs on my travels and note where all these locations are. Tedious, tiring and feel like I am fighting a losing battle. I have written letters to the council, offered my services, offered to attend meetings, asked for info on special interest groups - but nothing. I have just been given lip service. So firstly, I would like to know- are there any groups out there lobbying the council or with an interest in regard to the litter strewn around our city. Secondly, I would love a hand with logging jobs with the council. If you go to www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz... You must set up a log in and then on this page you will see 'Report a Problem' And you follow the prompts. It takes about 5 minutes per job which is not much time when you have one or two jobs. It gets pretty time consuming when you have 15 or 20 jobs. So, this is what you do if you see any loose litter anywhere. You don't have to wait until there is a pile, you can report any amount. I try and pick up rubbish on my walks and always when I put my rubbish bin out, I look down. Any litter in the gutter I will pick up, but I cannot do the whole streets. This is our city. Most of us have chosen to live here. A city we should be able to proud of. But sadly, it really has fallen into a state of disrepair, weeds everywhere or just bare dirt, graffiti, rubbish, dumped household rubbish, overgrown berms etc.- it is really sad. I would love to hear from anyone who loves Auckland and cares about the way it looks. There may already be a special interest type group, or you might like to form/join one with me. I on my own have little power, I feel like I am trying to put a sticking plaster on a arterial bleed. (I am a nurse, hence the analogy) There is power in numbers. So, let’s try and make a difference to the place we call home.