Hawke’s Bay Regional Council pollution response officers were disappointed to be called out to a particularly offensive stream dumping event yesterday, and have a message for people dumping rubbish in our waterways: “don’t do it.”

HBRC Compliance Manager, Wayne Wright, received a call-out for his team on Monday morning in response to a photo emailed to council. The photo appeared to show offal and pressed hams in a blue container, which had been dumped from the Elsthorpe Road Bridge into Papanui Stream not far from Waipawa.

On investigation, HBRC staff fished out half a cow, a lamb and three hams.

“This sort of dumping in not new to council, but staff take particular exception to pollution of the region’s waterways,” says Wayne Wright.

“Most importantly, anyone reading this should not think of it as a localised issue, this is a whole of community issue that requires all of us to take action. If you see someone dumping rubbish at the roadside, road end, or more offensively, in our waterways, report it to the Regional Council’s Pollution Hotline straight away, 0800 108 838 or look us up in the phone book.”

ENDS

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