Petition to the Dunedin City Council on North Dunedin street waste management

We the undersigned call on the Dunedin City Council to find a permanent, viable regular clean-up solution to the problem of

unacceptable levels of glass and refuse that remain on the streets, gutters and footpaths of Castle Street, Leith Street North and other streets in the Otago University student "party zone" in the North Dunedin Area.Keep New Zealand Beautiful has folded,

Funding for toilet bidets to reduce toilet paper use is another idea?

The current system of cleaning up irregularly leaves dangerous broken glass and rotting rubbish on the streets and pedestrian areas for days and weeks without management. This poses a health and safety danger for:

All pedestrians, but in particular:

1. Children regularly walking in this area (including small children and toddlers attending the University of Otago childcare centre on Castle Street)

2. Elderly and senior people walking in this area (note: in particular local residents residing in elder housing at the North end of Castle and Leith Streets)

3. Disabled people ( both people with limited mobility/strength who can walk, and those navigating piles of rubbish and glass using mobility vehicles with air pressurised tyres)

It also poses a reputational risk to the City of Dunedin via:

Tourists and visitors

4. International and nationwide tourists and visitors to the gardens/University area who encounter the dangerous and dirty environs of Castle Street when they attempt to access the University and central city via the Botanic Gardens

5. Students' parents, academics and other visitors to the University of Otago in accommodation North of the Gardens who will encounter this unacceptable street refuse in transit on foot

Student expectations

The apathy to student litter also communicates to young students that there is a special allowance for antisocial behavior with broken glass and refuse mismanagement in the North Dunedin area. Students are permitted to party just expected to pick up and dispose of waste.

For these reasons we believe that the Dunedin City Council should either:

1. Invest in a regulation upgrade for landlords and tenants that requires people in these areas to take responsibility for the behaviour taking place on their properties

2.Also work with law enforcement to ban street parties or parties that are proven to cause damage to the street environment in high risk areas

3. Invest in suitable personnel and machinery to enable Council to easily and regularly clean-up these areas, such as the Lynx Road Sweeper: https://lynx.rasco.hr/en/

This litter is also a safety issue for disabled, the elderly and children.

Closing date: Saturday 6 July, 2024

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