Christchurch residents watch on waste

Residents of the New Zealand city of Christchurch, currently undergoing substantial demolition following the earthquake that devastated the region, have been encouraged to monitor for illegal dumping of waste on recently cleared demolition sites and report any instances to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA).

According to the City Council, occurrences of such dumping of demolition and household waste are on the rise in the residential areas of the city that have been cleared by demolition work, imposing substantial costs on the city's taxpayers for it to be cleared.

Under the Litter Act, fines of up to NZ$7,000 (US$5,680) can be imposed on individuals found guilty of such dumping, and for companies this rises to NZ$20,000 (US$16,220).

Waste from demolition and abandoned homes is being dealt with by contractors under strategies that have been developed by Environment Canterbury, Christchurch City Council, Waimakairiri and Selwyn District Councils and CERA.