Zero tolerance for dumping rubbish – help us dob in a dumper
From roadsides of the Coromandel to kiwi zones and private farms, illegally dumped rubbish is rearing its ugly head and offenders are warned: even our Mayor is out to get you.
Fines of up to $20,000 are available to our Council for anyone caught illegally dumping anywhere in the District as well as instant $400 fines for littering. With the help of vigilant residents in our communities, there are eyes everywhere.
“We are cracking down. Our Compliance Officers are regularly monitoring known dumping sites and anyone identified for littering or dumping rubbish in our district will face legal action and a ‘name and shame’ through the courts,” says Steve Hart, Team Leader, TCDC Bylaws and Compliance.
“When fly dumping is occurring on private property, our compliance officers can investigate and issue infringements under the Litter Act 1979 once an offender can be identified and a case proven.”
Members of the Manaia community south of Coromandel have reported exhasperation at the scourge of illegal rubbish dumping as well as dumping of furniture and appliances on their land. The Council is working with them to help get a prosecution and stop further offending.
“We’ve had community people picking up rubbish along the Manaia Road but there is no one to help the poor farmers who are getting all sorts of junk – bottles of course, old stoves, mattresses, fridges etc and some of these landowners are almost at their wits end,” says one resident. “Is there anything that can be done?”
Any private property owner experiencing this problem should lodge a complaint through our ‘request for service’ (RFS) system simply by phoning TCDC's customer service team on 07 868 0200. This way Council staff can initiate an investigation on private land.
Council staff will go to the lengths necessary to investigate who is responsible for illegal rubbish including picking through individual items and wading in waterways to find evidence of the perpetrators.
Thames-Coromandel Mayor Sandra Goudie is among those heartily sick of illegal dumping and has warned that she takes the offending on our Coromandel personally.
“There’s a zero tolerance on any form of littering and dumping, and if somebody has dumped a rubbish bag on the side of the road, I’m not above going through it and finding out who it is, shoving it on their doorstep and giving them a wake-up call.”
Rubbish and recycling collections have been stepped up for the peak summer season and the opening hours for our Refuse Transfer Stations have also increased so there are no excuses.
TCDC Communications and Marketing Manager Laurna White says the Council has also stepped up communications with targeted campaigns to ensure people know that our summer refuse transfer stations opening hours are now in effect.
“All our refuse transfer stations are open until 5:30pm each Saturday and 6:30pm on Sundays. They are open on all public holidays (Sunday hours apply), except for Christmas Day.
“If you vacate a property on a day that is not a collection day you must drop your blue bag directly at the Refuse Transfer Station (RTS) or Drop Off facility upon departure for home. Our transfer stations are open until 7:30pm on Sundays so you have plenty of time to drop in on the way out of town.”
Help us spread the word. View our RTS opening hours and locations

Rubbish, recycling and refuse transfer stations over the summer
Our seven refuse transfer stations across the District are now open longer hours over the summer and extra Kerbside rubbish and recycling collections start on Monday 26 December in most areas of the Coromandel.
Our smaller refuse transfer stations (RTSs) in Coromandel, Matarangi, Tairua and Pauanui are now open seven days a week until Sunday 26 February 2017 and are open later on weekends and public holidays over this period.
Our larger RTSs in Whitianga, Whangamata and Thames are open seven days a week, as usual, but also have extended weekend and public holiday opening hours.
All our RTSs are closed on Christmas Day but are open every other day until 26 February. Our non-summer hours resume on 27 February.
Check our web page www.tcdc.govt.nz/rts for hours and locations of our RTSs.
And on Boxing Day, 26 December, our summer schedule of extra Kerbside rubbish and recycling collections begins.
In most areas of the Coromandel there will be one or two extra collections every week of rubbish and recycling.
This extra collection schedule runs until 11 February 2017.
Check our Kerbside web page, www.tcdc.govt.nz/kerbside, for the collection schedule, or scroll down to find the schedule for your area.
Collection days remain the same throughout the Coromandel after the Christmas and New Year's public holidays, but are a day later after the Auckland Anniversary and Waitangi Day holidays at the end of January and early February next year.
Glass can be left for pick-up in any sturdy crate, it doesn't have to be a Council-branded crate. Don't use cardboard boxes as these can get wet and break when they're lifted, and please don't use crates that are so big that when they're full they can't be lifted by our contractors.
And remember, if you're leaving the District before rubbish and recycling pick-up day in your area, you can leave rubbish in pre-paid blue Council bags and recycling for FREE at any of our RTSs.
Kerbside rubbish and recycling schedule:
www.tcdc.govt.nz/kerbside
RTS hours and locations:
www.tcdc.govt.nz/rts