The Shire of Ashburton pride’s itself on the fact that its towns perform well in the Tidy Town Awards. Council’s Parks and Gardens staff try their best to keep the towns clean and tidy and would appreciate your assistance by ensuring that you dispose of your litter in a responsible manner.

The amount of litter left around the towns is a disgrace. Council staff are spending many hours cleaning up other people’s rubbish around the towns because these people are too lazy to put it in the bin. It has been estimated that the cost of picking up this rubbish, in terms of labour hours, is $38,350 per annum. This is money that could be better spent somewhere else, but because people choose to be untidy, then the Council has to waste this money on keeping your towns clean.

Our towns are pretty towns and it would be a shame to see them ruined by unthinking people. Please have some pride in the town you live in, and if you don’t at least think about the hole that will be left in your wallet or purse should you receive a litter infringement.

Public rubbish bins are not to be used for domestic or commercial waste. It is an offence to dispose of household or commercial waste in bins designed to take small individual items of litter.

Affixing unauthorised publicity material, wilfully or accidentally setting fire to or altering the proper appearance of public rubbish bins is subject to a fine of up to $1000.

Dumping rubbish in bushland is also an offence and carries further penalties for offenders who fail to remove the litter within a given time. The Shire’s waste disposal sites have set aside certain areas for certain kinds of waste. Should you dispose of litter in an area not set aside for that waste is also an offence under the Litter Act.

You are not allowed to dump rubbish in waterways, rivers, lakes and oceans and such actions can incur a fine. Littering also includes garden material such as branches, piles of dirt and rubble, left on road verges

Dumping of shopping trolleys outside the boundaries of a shopping centre is also considered littering

Unsolicited printed matter may be delivered only to a resident’s letterbox. Publicity material may not be placed on car windscreens or bumpers without the permission of the owner or driver. Parking infringement notices are exempt from this restriction.

Unauthorised publicity material on any building, fence, pillar, post, structure, wall or other object adjacent to a public place or vacant land is also a contravention of the Litter Act.

When taking rubbish to the tip it is important that you secure the load and ensure that it is covered. It is an offence to tow a trailer that has an uncovered or improperly secured load. Securing and covering the rubbish will also prevent it from escaping and being left along the roadway.

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29 November, 1999

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