Lotto investigating after car caught dumping at controversial cleanfill site

Tuesday, 6 August 2019

A marked Lotto car was spotted dumping waste at a cleanfill dump.

Lotto NZ has began an investigation after one of its vehicles was photographed dumping waste at a cleanfill dump.

Wainuiomata residents caught the driver of the branded Toyota RAV4 station wagon dumping material from its boot early on September 15, last year.

Video and photographs show the man, dressed in a maroon hoodie and black cap, throwing white material over the slopes of the cleanfill. Plastic containers can be seen at his feet.

Only approved operators are allowed to drop off material at the site. Cleanfills are only permitted to accept uncontaminated, non-decomposable inert material like soil, rock, brick, or concrete from construction and demolition work.

Wainuiomata residents are battling the extension of a 'clean' waste dump tucked away in a bush-clad valley, which they fear could pollute their local river. (Video first published August 2019).

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Lotto NZ has begun an investigation after one of its vehicles was snapped tipping at the Wainuiomata cleanfill.

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Tip neighbour Sally-Ann Moffat says she reported the dumping and provided the photos to Hutt City Council, but she believes no action was taken.

She says she passed the photos to Mayor Ray Wallace in late September and to former chief executive Tony Stallinger in November. However, she says a senior monitoring and enforcement manager contacted her this week to say the council had not received the photos.

Moffat said: 'It looks like a consent breach to me. As part of the consent conditions, all loads are supposed to be from customers approved by the operator.'

A spokeswoman for Hutt City Council said the complaint was looked into, and 'found that the concrete that was left at the clean fill by this customer is acceptable'.

However, she said: 'We have reminded the operator that private vehicles are not allowed to deposit material at the cleanfill.'

Moffat, who witnessed the incident and captured a video on her cell phone, disputed the material was concrete. 'You can see when he flings the bags [into the tip], that is not concrete. It would be impossible to throw concrete like that.'

Moffat and other residents in the Coast Road Valley are currently battling plans to expand the clean waste dump, which was supposed to close in April 2017.

The Wainuiomata cleanfill is at the centre of a dispute between the council and residents.

Sally-Ann Moffat and other residents in the Coast Road Valley are currently battling plans to expand the clean waste dump.

They say they are plagued by noise, dust and increased traffic - and claim plastic, glass and other prohibited materials are regularly dumped at the site.

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark and Parliament's Speaker Trevor Mallard, who lives 3km from the dump, have publicly backed their fight.

However, Hutt City Council says the cleanfill, which is operated by private contractor Dimac, is inspected regularly and complies with resource consent conditions.

A spokeswoman for Lotto NZ said: 'An internal investigation into this situation is underway and, as you will appreciate, until that is complete we cannot provide further information.'