Junk-call hoax litters Huntly

KELLY HODEL/ Waikato Times

LOAD OF RUBBISH: Olivia Jones is one of many Huntly people who fell prey to an inorganic rubbish collection hoax.

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Dozens of Huntly households have been duped by a hoax flier promoting an inorganic rubbish collection in the town, leaving some of its streets covered in junk.

Yesterday the corner of Rayner Rd and Croft Tce, in Huntly East, looked like Steptoe's yard with broken TVs, a clothesline, a rusted wheelbarrow, carpet offcuts, clapped-out car seats, wooden doors, a vacuum cleaner and even a dog-eared scuba diving manual piled up on the grass verge.

And the Croft Tce kerbside littered with a disused toilet, broken microwave, and toy slide was spouting more rubbish than a parliamentary backbencher.

Problem is, Waikato District Council does its annual inorganic rubbish collection in November, and has no intention of removing this load of old rubbish.

Residents were prompted to create this magnificent display of kerbside junk by a "Midwinter Inorganic Rubbish Collection" flier fraudulently using Waikato District Council's colour logo and signed by a non-existent CH Burrows which was distributed to letterboxes in parts of Huntly over the weekend.

The council is urging Huntly residents to disregard the false flier and remove their rubbish from the kerbside as soon as possible, while it attempts to find out who was behind the flier.

"We are running a mid-winter inorganic rubbish collection covering the whole of the Huntly area," the forged flier said, advising that rubbish could be placed on the kerbside from Saturday, August 15, with the collection starting on August 25.

"A good chance to clean up around the house," the flier enthused. "All inorganic forms of rubbish will be collected, old fridges, stoves, car parts, corrugated iron, timber, carpet etc."

Council chief executive Gavin Ion was concerned that residents had been misled, but said his staff would not be removing the junk.

"The council does not endorse this inorganic collection."

There is no CH Burrows on the council's staff or ratepayer register.

Just as annoyed was Croft Tce resident Olivia Jones.

"Our family spent all day clearing out our junk," she said. "What a stupid prank."

Mr Ion said the stunt had come out of the blue.

"Whoever it is, they must be aiming to get something out of it. They may be looking to take what they want and leave the rest.

"The problem is someone will have to clean up afterwards."

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Nate   #75   01:12 am Aug 23 2009

ah what a genius! wish i could see pictures

me   #74   05:45 pm Aug 20 2009

Hahaha, Donny #69, good call. Poor old Huntly......but sorry, it did make me laugh

Muppetman   #73   04:39 pm Aug 20 2009

Bet it was the tip trying to drum up extra business...

Remmy   #72   04:02 pm Aug 20 2009

All these comments are SOOOO funny.........love it! as someone said above "nobody loses over this" the hard works been done (by the residents) now............the council needs to go pick it all up...........a clean city all for FREE!

DO IT!

mel   #71   01:59 pm Aug 20 2009

what a shame the huntly men aren't classed as inorganic rubbish

Bevan   #70   09:46 am Aug 20 2009

Brilliant, we should do this in Wellington to protest the ridiculous dumping fees for inorganic rubbish in the regions dumps. You have to save up large ammounts of rubbish to even make it feasable to go to the dump. GOOD ON YOU PRANKERS!!!

donny   #69   07:25 am Aug 20 2009

who cares.. its huntly, at least it gives the people who drive through something interesting to look at, the council should be stoked!

John Barleycorn   #68   02:37 am Aug 20 2009

They could post to give away useful items on http://www.freemesa.org/ and keep stuff out of the landfill

PhillyChief   #67   02:36 am Aug 20 2009

"Our family spent all day clearing out our junk," she said. "What a stupid prank."

Actually, I think that's precisely what makes it a brilliantly successful prank. ;)

Steveo   #66   01:58 am Aug 20 2009

Excellent practical joke! Bravo.

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