Not just the amount, but the type of rubbish people leave lying around public places in Dunedin is surprising, an artist who wants to get people talking about trash says.
Otago Polytechnic graphic designer Siau-Jiun Lim has introduced a challenge where members of the public have to photograph rubbish they see 12 days in a row. The pictures are posted on her ''Click n'Pick'' Facebook page.
The Mornington resident said she usually collected rubbish in Jubilee Park, where she had found not just large amounts of bottles and usual detritus, but once an entire bag of fish.
The project is running all month as part of Plastic Free July, and already there were about 500 photos of rubbish from around Dunedin on the page.
Ms Lim also had a number of smaller ''Click n'Pick'' material bags available at the polytechnic, for people to use if they wanted to take part in the challenge, or if they were looking for sustainable bags.
She began the project after observing the number of people still using rubbish bags at Pak n'Save, and she realised it was not about money - as the 10c cost of plastic bags did not deter people from using them.
After a photo project after taking pictures of rubbish for her visual art degree at the polytechnic, she also realised how much it changed her own attitude to rubbish in the landscape.
About six or seven people had entered the challenge so far, and she had more than 500 pictures on display on her Facebook page.
People who entered would go in the draw to win a painting which she had created - or if they did not like it, it could be swapped for coffee vouchers at Eden Cafe at the polytechnic.
