Warning illegal dumping could hit Environment Southland rates

Illegal dumping is hitting Southlanders in the pocket, and there are warnings it could result in a rates increase.

Environment Southland has highlighted the issue in a report showing the extent of fly-tipping, dumped vehicles and dumped animal carcasses in waterways.

Fifty-seven such incidents were recorded in the 2023-24 financial year, the largest proportion relating to general rubbish.

"Fly-tipping has been a long-standing issue, and many councils are noting an increase in recent years, likely due to the rising cost of disposing of rubbish at landfill sites," council resource management manager Donna Ferguson said.

The council estimated it was only able to recover costs for between two and four incidents a year, which put pressure on its compliance budget.

It warned a potential rates increase could be on the cards to fund the work.

Ms Ferguson said although the report highlighted rubbish dumping, her organisation responded to a variety of incidents including serious pollution and smoke nuisance.

A total of 844 incidents were responded to in 2023-24, costing almost $1.1million.

The council was only able to pass the cost on if it could identify the offender. Ms Ferguson gave two examples of where that had not been possible: a burnt-out car salvaged from the Mataura River and a spa pool discovered on the way to the site.

The council took rubbish and carcasses to landfill and relied on specialist salvage companies for retrieving vehicles, Ms Ferguson said.

Incidents were brought to the attention of the council by its their own compliance officers or the community.

— LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.