Waikato District Council cleans up act
Waikato District Council has taken action after Waikato Independent inquiries last month over the amount of litter that sat in the grassy bank behind Huntly McDonald’s.
Piles of rubbish have been cleared from a grassy bank near Huntly McDonald’s in an apparent response to Waikato Independent inquiries.
The unsightly litter covered the bank beside a carpark on George Dr. Photographs taken at the time show a mess of discarded packaging from McDonald’s, KFC and other outlets.
Waikato District Council cleaned the area in the past few weeks after being asked about it by the Waikato Independent.
Margaret Dixon, a customer of the Huntly McDonald’s, had been unimpressed by the amount of rubbish.
“It looked obvious, no one had taken any notice of it,” she said.
“If they are going to have parking spaces there, they should provide rubbish bins but make sure they are adequate to hold fast food rubbish.”
There are two council rubbish bin at the entrance to the car park on George Drive.
Speaking before the cleanup, Waikato District Council acting general manager customer support Merv Balloch said the rubbish had drawn no complaints over the past few months.
Balloch said complaints are sent to the council’s Huntly contractor who will pick up the litter.
“Since the start of 2013 the council has received a total of 19 complaints about litter and rubbish in Huntly,” Balloch said.
They ranged from litter in the streets to rubbish dumped in reserve.
“The council’s Huntly contractor conducts a litter pick up on both State Highway 1 and George Drive, the roads either side of the McDonald’s, on a daily basis,” Balloch said.
He said the next step would be to discuss with the contractor if it was worth relocating one of the two rubbish bins closer to McDonald’s.
“Rubbish and litter in any public place within the district is the responsibility of the council, and this is a responsibility we take very seriously,” Balloch said
Kim Bartlett, McDonald’s communication manager, said McDonald’s restaurants have litter patrols within a 200m circumference of the restaurant.
Bartlett also said they work with Keep NZ Beautiful, LoveNZ and local councils on ways to help people dispose of rubbish responsibly.
