Concerning number of needles being found on beaches, says clean-up organiser

Tuesday, 5 November 2019

Three syringes, two with exposed needles, were found on Petone Beach among 35,000 other pieces of rubbish collected by volunteers.

People burying their heads in the sand over proper waste disposal etiquette are leaving behind an increasing number of hypodermic needles while they are at, it a beach clean-up volunteer says.

Eighty volunteers collected an estimated 35,000 pieces of rubbish from Petone Beach in Lower Hutt on Sunday and among the straws, fast food wrappers, bottle tops and plastic lollipop sticks were three syringes, two with exposed needles.

Clean-up organiser Lorraine Shaab says the amount of rubbish entering Wellington Harbour and being left around its edges is increasing.

Clean-up organiser Lorraine Shaab said the number of needles being found by volunteers was disturbing.

In the two years she had been organising clean-ups, the group had gone from collecting about one needle every three months to up to four at every fortnightly event.

Two hours of work netted clean-up volunteers an estimated 35,000 pieces of rubbish from the Petone foreshore and dunes.

More than 700 straws collected on Petone Beach.

* Washed-up lids found on Seaview shoreline were made down the road

* Manufacturer accused of spilling thousands of plastic 'nurdles' into Wellington Harbour

* Plastic formula lids flood shoreline in baffling invasion of Lower Hutt beach**

Nurdles - raw plastic pellets used in manufacturing - are being found in immeasurable numbers, Shaab said.

The medical waste posed more than just the threat of an unexpected jab - the transfer of blood-borne disease was also a possibility, she said.

The needles were a danger to volunteers and the public.

'[Petone Beach] hums on a sunny day. There's families, the rowing club and people walking their dogs. It's not cool. Someone's going to get stuck.'

People taking part in the clean-up event were being told to be extra cautious.

The group had also found syringes and needles at Seaview and Evans Bay.

Shaab said the amount of rubbish, particularly plastic waste, around the harbour was increasing. Not only was there more rubbish washing up on the beach but the group had noticed more fast food wrappers and alcohol containers being dumped by people parking up to admire the views.

'There's a culture of muppets throwing things out their [car] windows.'

Nurdles - raw plastic pellets used in manufacturing - were also being found in immeasurable quantities.

Despite mounting evidence of the problems created by plastic pollution and other rubbish, people just didn't seem to care, she said.