More than 1,000 kilograms of rubbish, including used syringes, has been removed from the Trashboom at Vatuwaqa Creek during a three-day clean-up operation.
The waste included plastic bottles, food wrappers, household rubbish and plastic bags, with the discovery of used syringes raising particular health and safety concerns for clean-up workers.
Minister for Environment and Climate Change Lynda Tabuya said the volume and nature of the waste highlighted the need for people to dispose of rubbish responsibly.
“What you throw into the drain or creek upstream becomes somebody else’s problem downstream. Eventually, it reaches our rivers and our ocean,” Tabuya said.
She said the used syringes were particularly concerning because of the risks they posed to people involved in removing the waste.
Tabuya also reminded the public that the fixed penalty for littering increased to $200 from September 1.
“Government can clean this creek today, but if people dump rubbish again tomorrow, we are back to square one,” she said.
The Ministry acknowledged Trashboom Pacific and community members who assisted with the clean-up.
Tabuya urged the public to help keep drains, creeks, rivers and the ocean free of waste.
“Bin your rubbish. Don’t dump it.”
