Kiwi grandmothers pick fight against roadside litter

Wednesday, 21 March 2018

Lesley Fitzgerald and Jenny Oliphant pick up rubbish along Arapuni Rd

A couple of South Waikato grandmothers have picked a fight with a powerful foe - roadside rubbish.

Fed up with seeing litter dumped along the rural Arapuni Rd between Putaruru and Arapuni Village, where they live, Jenny Oliphan and Lesley Fitzgerald have dived in to the scrap.

They've been spending mornings taking to the berm with rubbish bags and nabbers.

'Recently the two of us picked up enough rubbish from 600 metres to fill five large black rubbish bags,' Lesley said.

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'We did this because all the rubbish looked very ugly and more importantly we did it because we know that the rubbish goes down the drains, into the river, and eventually into the sea.'

They said it was not a good look for passing tourists to see.

'We got absolutely fed up with seeing it on the side of the road,' Jenny said.

'You think about visitors to this country who will be driving along and they see this. They must think we are just third world,' Lesley added.

Lesley said it was particularly bad after the berms have been mown.

'After it has been mown we'd think 'oh my goodness'. It is just thick,' she said.

She said all sorts from plastic bottles and bags to jandals, car mats, and helmets are being found.

'It seems to be people coming from town because by the time they are here people have finished their pies and things so all the rubbish just goes out the window,' she said.

'I went with my daughter to the albatross colony near Dunedin and the guy showed us a plate full of plastic with little bottle tops and even a toothbrush which was all found inside the stomach of a dead albatross. More and more we are killing the life in the sea with what goes down our rivers and drains so it is a very sad situation.'

Jenny put the issues down to an increased population and an increase in fast food consumption which is often packaged in plastic.

'When we were kids and our children were kids it was 'be a tidy Kiwi' and I am sure there was less rubbish but now we have got more population, more takeaways, and more people eating takeaways,' she said.

Lesley said while she doesn't have a magic solution to the problem she'll continue to get out and do her bit.

'Unfortunately it is usually only older people like us who have the time to get out and do it but if everyone does half an hour it will make a difference,' she said.