Painting the Town Red to Protect Local Waterways.

Motueka Guardian April 2005

Environmental advocates from local community group communityaction took to the streets of Motueka on Tuesday to reduce pollution of local waterways. This local activity was held to mark World Water Day, a United Nations led initiative. In the morning business people and shoppers were greeted by a number of red fish, which had been painted near stormwater grates in Motueka's main streets overnight, and during the day ‘communityaction' volunteers handed out free portable ashtrays to passer-by's.

“Stormwater drains go out to sea and rivers, so any rubbish that gets thrown in the street, or pollutants that get poured down outside drains, will end up in waterways. We're raising awareness of this fact, so that locals and travellers will be more mindful of this in future,” said Duncan Eddy of communityaction.

Stormwater is any water that runs off streets, paths and driveways into the gutter. It flows, largely untreated, into streams, rivers and the sea. According to Mr Eddy “The main culprit is cigarette butt litter, particularly since the Smokefree Amendment Bill was passed and cigarette smokers have had to pop outside for a puff. These little nasties are filled with a cocktail of deadly poisons, they take forever to break down, and the oceans are full of them. Another problem is from detergents seeping into the street when people wash their cars, and some people still pour used motor oil straight down this drain. Their actions have repercussions throughout the entire food chain.”

There are solutions to these problems, and communityaction aims to both encourage awareness of the issue and direct people towards simple solutions. “All Tasman District Council Transfer stations accept used motor oil for recycling, and if people wash their cars on their lawns, the earth and plants both act as filters, stopping the detergents seeping out to sea”, said Mr Eddy.

Smokers were offered ‘bin yr butts', empty film canisters from local pharmacies, which can be used as discreet portable ashtrays. Bin yr Butt is one simple way that people can decrease their impact on the environment, and communityaction intend to approach the Tasman District Council to make this project sustainable.

“We see this as a gift to future generations of this area, not to mention the marine ecology!” Mr Eddy said. The United Nations General Assembly at its 58th session in December 2003 agreed to proclaim the years 2005 to 2015 as the International Decade for Action, "Water for Life", and beginning with World Water Day, March 22, 2005.