23 August 2007

Thieves target South Coast bins

Contractors will be hard at work over the next couple of weeks attaching new lids to more than 50 South Coast rubbish bins to discourage birds and prevent people from dumping household rubbish.

The original lids – which are costing around $5000 to replace – were stolen in two overnight raids and City Council staff are keen to hear from anyone with information that could assist police to recover them or catch the offenders.

Twenty-seven of the stainless steel lids were removed from bins between Dorrie Leslie Park near Lyall Bay and Owhiro Bay quarry car park overnight on Tuesday 14 August and a further 28 were taken on Thursday 16 August between Dorrie Leslie Park and Surfer’s Corner at Lyall Bay.

The Council’s Parks and Gardens Manager Paul Andrews says the thefts are particularly disheartening because many of the bins had only been in for a few months and he wonders why the thieves bothered given that scrap stainless steel is only fetching about $1.50 a kilogram.

“The police have been advised and we are also contacting local scrap metal dealers to ask them to keep an eye out for the circular bin lids,” he says. “It’s possible somebody living on the coast saw or heard something and we would be keen to hear from them if they have any information that might help us recover the lids, catch the offenders or prevent any more going missing. ”

Anyone with any information about the bin lid thefts should contact Ruth Graham on 499 4444.

ENDS

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