NZ Crime wave

Elizabeth I · 4th August 2007, 01:59 PM

From This is True:

WHAT A BUNCH OF GARBAGE: While waiting for a restaurant to cook his order, an unidentified man in Wellington, New Zealand, decided to clean out his car. He dropped his trash in a public trash can, got his food order, and left. But city officials sifted through the trash and determined it as "domestic" rubbish, tracked him down since his name and address was on a letter in the bin, and sent him a citation demanding NZ$100 (US$76.50) in fines. "I assumed, incorrectly as it turns out, that as it was a litter bin I was able to put litter in it," the man said. "I was unaware that domestic and non-domestic rubbish were categorized differently." He decided to pay the fine since "lack of knowledge of the law is no excuse. I have learned my lesson: When throwing rubbish in those green bins, do not include any incriminating correspondence." (Wellington Dominion Post) ...And now you know why he didn't want to be identified.

Wow, things must be quiet in New Zealand if you have time to ticket people for improper trash disposal.

Carnegiea · 4th August 2007, 05:44 PM

With commercial dumpsters the business owner has to pay every time the dumpster is emptied, so if someone decides to throw away bag after bag of household garbage or their old broken furniture in the dumpster behind some restaurant, this costs the business money.

And I think city governments want to prevent people from just taking their kitchen trash and stuffing it into one of the trash cans in the park.

I think it has to do more with volume than the fact you're "illegally" getting rid of trash. I clean garbage out my car at car washes and no one has cares, and once or twice I've gotten rid of furniture at the dumpsters of apartment buildings I technically didn't live at. I figure that people in that huge apartment complex throw away furniture all the time, and they were better equipped to deal with it than a house-renter such as myself.

Elizabeth I · 4th August 2007, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by Carnegiea

With commercial dumpsters the business owner has to pay every time the dumpster is emptied, so if someone decides to throw away bag after bag of household garbage or their old broken furniture in the dumpster behind some restaurant, this costs the business money.

And I think city governments want to prevent people from just taking their kitchen trash and stuffing it into one of the trash cans in the park.

I think it has to do more with volume than the fact you're "illegally" getting rid of trash. I clean garbage out my car at car washes and no one has cares, and once or twice I've gotten rid of furniture at the dumpsters of apartment buildings I technically didn't live at. I figure that people in that huge apartment complex throw away furniture all the time, and they were better equipped to deal with it than a house-renter such as myself.

Oh, I don't quarrel with your points. The city where I live has many of the same restrictions. I'm just fascinated that someone actually had time to enforce the ordinance.

Hamradioguy · 4th August 2007, 07:51 PM

This was, and may still be, a common thing here in Vermont. I had a college professor who'd just started teaching. Was in an apartment with his family, new to the area, and hadn't yet figured out how to dispose of trash. So he put a small (his words) bag of household garbage into one of those roadside green trash barrels.

Much to his surprise-and outrage- a week or so later he got a nasty letter from the State Highway people. They went through his garbage, found something with his address on it and wrote him a letter telling him in no uncertain terms that this was a big No-No, and to never ever do it again lest he be subjected to a massive fine. He felt they should have better things to do than sift through trash barrels for signs of illegal garbage. (On the other hand, when landfills began charging for bags of garbage this sort of clandestine dumping did become an occasional problem.)

kerikiwi · 6th August 2007, 03:29 PM

This strikes me as no more unreasonable than issuing parking tickets.
Who has time to ticket people for improper parking?

Aoidoi · 6th August 2007, 03:48 PM

Originally Posted by kerikiwi

This strikes me as no more unreasonable than issuing parking tickets.
Who has time to ticket people for improper parking?

For a parking ticket you don't have to go sifting through half eaten burgers and moldy fries on the off chance somebody left a label on something.

It would make for a great way to mess with somebody. Just print up a bunch of labels for someone you don't like and dump them in random trash bins.

The Atheist · 6th August 2007, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by Elizabeth I

Wow, things must be quiet in New Zealand if you have time to ticket people for improper trash disposal.

I'm surprised that anyone's surprised - and the guy who got busted was either lying or very, very stupid; that has been the law in NZ for over 20 years.

I see from other posts that it's quite common in other places as well. It's all about cost of rubbish removal and disposal. Each household pays for its rubbish removal, as does the city council. Given that my rates cover city council costs, I'm pretty happy he was fined. Why should I pay to tip his rubbish?

strathmeyer · 6th August 2007, 10:07 PM

Originally Posted by The Atheist

I see from other posts that it's quite common in other places as well. It's all about cost of rubbish removal and disposal. Each household pays for its rubbish removal, as does the city council. Given that my rates cover city council costs, I'm pretty happy he was fined. Why should I pay to tip his rubbish?

Would you rather he chose the apparently cheaper option: littering?

The Atheist · 7th August 2007, 12:43 AM

Originally Posted by strathmeyer

Would you rather he chose the apparently cheaper option: littering?

Since littering is also punishable by a fine, I would have thought the cheap option would be to take it home and put it in his rubbish bin.

Amazing how simple these things are at times, eh?

4th August 2007, 01:59 PM	#1
Elizabeth I Olympic Equestrian Wannabe Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Defending the Alamo Posts: 6,447	NZ Crime wave From This is True: WHAT A BUNCH OF GARBAGE: While waiting for a restaurant to cook his order, an unidentified man in Wellington, New Zealand, decided to clean out his car. He dropped his trash in a public trash can, got his food order, and left. But city officials sifted through the trash and determined it as "domestic" rubbish, tracked him down since his name and address was on a letter in the bin, and sent him a citation demanding NZ$100 (US$76.50) in fines. "I assumed, incorrectly as it turns out, that as it was a litter bin I was able to put litter in it," the man said. "I was unaware that domestic and non-domestic rubbish were categorized differently." He decided to pay the fine since "lack of knowledge of the law is no excuse. I have learned my lesson: When throwing rubbish in those green bins, do not include any incriminating correspondence." (Wellington Dominion Post) ...And now you know why he didn't want to be identified. Wow, things must be quiet in New Zealand if you have time to ticket people for improper trash disposal.
	__________________ • There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. - Winston Churchill • Never wrestle with a pig - you just get dirty and the pig enjoys it. • My blog: Pardon me, may I ask...

4th August 2007, 05:44 PM	#2
Carnegiea Student Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 36	With commercial dumpsters the business owner has to pay every time the dumpster is emptied, so if someone decides to throw away bag after bag of household garbage or their old broken furniture in the dumpster behind some restaurant, this costs the business money. And I think city governments want to prevent people from just taking their kitchen trash and stuffing it into one of the trash cans in the park. I think it has to do more with volume than the fact you're "illegally" getting rid of trash. I clean garbage out my car at car washes and no one has cares, and once or twice I've gotten rid of furniture at the dumpsters of apartment buildings I technically didn't live at. I figure that people in that huge apartment complex throw away furniture all the time, and they were better equipped to deal with it than a house-renter such as myself.
Carnegiea Student Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 36

4th August 2007, 06:34 PM	#3
Elizabeth I Olympic Equestrian Wannabe Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Defending the Alamo Posts: 6,447	Originally Posted by Carnegiea With commercial dumpsters the business owner has to pay every time the dumpster is emptied, so if someone decides to throw away bag after bag of household garbage or their old broken furniture in the dumpster behind some restaurant, this costs the business money. And I think city governments want to prevent people from just taking their kitchen trash and stuffing it into one of the trash cans in the park. I think it has to do more with volume than the fact you're "illegally" getting rid of trash. I clean garbage out my car at car washes and no one has cares, and once or twice I've gotten rid of furniture at the dumpsters of apartment buildings I technically didn't live at. I figure that people in that huge apartment complex throw away furniture all the time, and they were better equipped to deal with it than a house-renter such as myself. Oh, I don't quarrel with your points. The city where I live has many of the same restrictions. I'm just fascinated that someone actually had time to enforce the ordinance.
	__________________ • There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. - Winston Churchill • Never wrestle with a pig - you just get dirty and the pig enjoys it. • My blog: Pardon me, may I ask...

6th August 2007, 03:48 PM	#6
Aoidoi Master Poster Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 2,958	Originally Posted by kerikiwi This strikes me as no more unreasonable than issuing parking tickets. Who has time to ticket people for improper parking? For a parking ticket you don't have to go sifting through half eaten burgers and moldy fries on the off chance somebody left a label on something. It would make for a great way to mess with somebody. Just print up a bunch of labels for someone you don't like and dump them in random trash bins.
Aoidoi Master Poster Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 2,958	__________________ "The priests used to say that faith can move mountains, and nobody believed them. Today the scientists say that they can level mountains, and nobody doubts them." - Joseph Campbell We cannot defend freedom abroad by abandoning it at home. —Edward R. Murrow

6th August 2007, 09:09 PM	#7
The Atheist The Grammar Tyrant Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Within smelling distance of the Grammar Death Camps Posts: 13,928	Originally Posted by Elizabeth I Wow, things must be quiet in New Zealand if you have time to ticket people for improper trash disposal. I'm surprised that anyone's surprised - and the guy who got busted was either lying or very, very stupid; that has been the law in NZ for over 20 years. I see from other posts that it's quite common in other places as well. It's all about cost of rubbish removal and disposal. Each household pays for its rubbish removal, as does the city council. Given that my rates cover city council costs, I'm pretty happy he was fined. Why should I pay to tip his rubbish?
	__________________ Jeff Wagg, Communication and Outreach Manager for the James Randi Educational Foundation posted: It is my job to inform other JREF employees about people who wish to do the JREF harm, and you [The Atheist] are one of those.

4th August 2007, 07:51 PM	#4
Hamradioguy Pyrrhonist Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Northern Vermont Posts: 2,132	This was, and may still be, a common thing here in Vermont. I had a college professor who'd just started teaching. Was in an apartment with his family, new to the area, and hadn't yet figured out how to dispose of trash. So he put a small (his words) bag of household garbage into one of those roadside green trash barrels. Much to his surprise-and outrage- a week or so later he got a nasty letter from the State Highway people. They went through his garbage, found something with his address on it and wrote him a letter telling him in no uncertain terms that this was a big No-No, and to never ever do it again lest he be subjected to a massive fine. He felt they should have better things to do than sift through trash barrels for signs of illegal garbage. (On the other hand, when landfills began charging for bags of garbage this sort of clandestine dumping did become an occasional problem.)

6th August 2007, 03:29 PM	#5
kerikiwi Master Poster Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Bay of Islands NZ Posts: 2,623	This strikes me as no more unreasonable than issuing parking tickets. Who has time to ticket people for improper parking?

6th August 2007, 10:07 PM	#8
strathmeyer seriously unable to be serious Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA Posts: 2,382	Originally Posted by The Atheist I see from other posts that it's quite common in other places as well. It's all about cost of rubbish removal and disposal. Each household pays for its rubbish removal, as does the city council. Given that my rates cover city council costs, I'm pretty happy he was fined. Why should I pay to tip his rubbish? Would you rather he chose the apparently cheaper option: littering?

7th August 2007, 12:43 AM	#9
The Atheist The Grammar Tyrant Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Within smelling distance of the Grammar Death Camps Posts: 13,928	Originally Posted by strathmeyer Would you rather he chose the apparently cheaper option: littering? Since littering is also punishable by a fine, I would have thought the cheap option would be to take it home and put it in his rubbish bin. Amazing how simple these things are at times, eh?
	__________________ Jeff Wagg, Communication and Outreach Manager for the James Randi Educational Foundation posted: It is my job to inform other JREF employees about people who wish to do the JREF harm, and you [The Atheist] are one of those.