Roadside rubbish likely to appear in greater amounts after NZTA reduces frequency of cleanups

Sunday, 1 September 2019

An NZTA review has meant roadside rubbish is not collected as frequently as it was.

If you think you've noticed more rubbish accumulating on the side of State Highways, you're not wrong.

Roadside rubbish collectors contracted to the NZ Transport Agency are no longer picking up litter as frequently as they used to following a review sparked by the deaths of three workers in February.

NZTA would not make anyone available to speak on the topic, but issued a statement saying they had changed the way they do things in the interest of contractor safety.

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'The recent fatalities involving construction and maintenance crew on our state highway network have resulted in an urgent review of methods of operation while carrying out maintenance work,' a spokesperson said.

'New work practices have been introduced to offer additional protection to our workers, which have meant that litter collection is done less frequently. This may result in more litter being visible on the network, but we are confident that the required standards will be met.

Roadside rubbish alongside SH51 near Clive, Hawke's Bay, has been accumulating for weeks.

'The safety of the men and women carrying out this work is our top priority,' he said.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful CEO Heather Saunderson said the extent of roadside rubbish would be covered in the organisation's ''National Litter Audit'' due to be released next week.

'While this may result in more litter being visible, it is not correct to say that no litter removal is being carried out – litter is collected within every work site and litter is also removed in areas where it accumulates to unacceptable levels, or in response to community requests.

'In terms of frequency, our contractors are prioritising addressing safety issues on the state highway network, and responding to other contract requirements - such as litter removal - in conjunction with safety works (i.e. combining various maintenance tasks to be performed at the same time, and under the same temporary traffic management wherever possible).'

Dudley Sole Raroa, 55, David Reginald Te Wira Eparaima, also 55, and Haki Graham Hiha, 40 were killed on the Matata straight while they were working, clearing a culvert on the side of the road, on February 26.

The review was sparked by the deaths of three Higgins workers in Bay of Plenty. Dudley Sole Raroa, 55, David Reginald Te Wira Eparaima, also 55, and Haki Graham Hiha, 40 were killed on the Matata straight while they were working, clearing a culvert on the side of the road, on February 26.

They were killed when David Cox, a professional driver making a routine delivery of furniture, clipped the side of a parked Higgins truck which flipped and crushed the three men.

Cox, 47, admitted three charges of careless driving causing death and in June was sentenced to 250 hours of community work, ordered to pay $21,000 reparation for emotional harm and was disqualified from driving for 21 months.

While state highway maintenance is the responsibility of NZTA, other roads come under local council control.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful CEO Heather Saunderson said the extent of roadside rubbish would be covered in the organisation's 'National Litter Audit' due to be released next week.

The audit, conducted in association with Statistics New Zealand, the Department of Conservation and the Ministry for Environment, included a look at litter on highways across the country 'and the results will help us inform policy at a national and local level', Sunderson said.

'Littering in New Zealand requires a behaviour shift in individuals; we all need to be mindful of how and where we are disposing of waste. A behaviour study in 2016 showed that if a bin was more than ten meteres away, people tended to drop their rubbish on the ground,' she said.