A new pod system to help keep Waihī Beach litter free is proving to be a hit.

At the beginning of October, Sustainable Waihī Beach took a leap of faith and launched a system to try and help keep the 10km of beaches and bays litter-free.

A huge piece of sand art was part of the creative celebration promoting the new Community Beach Clean Pods.

The idea evolved after Sustainable Waihī Beach organised beach cleans this year with shocking results - over 112kg of rubbish was removed by members of the public at Anzac Bay, and at the North End, again a staggering amount of rubbish was removed. 

The system of pods have been installed at the following locations: 2 x North End, Brighton Reserve, Tuna Avenue and Anzac Bay.

The pods have been designed to hold 2 x 15ltr buckets which are positioned near public rubbish bins. Members of the public are encouraged to collect a bucket and undertake an independent beach clean, pop the rubbish into the adjacent bin, and the bucket back into the pod. The design is simple but extremely effective said Sustainable Waihī Beach Co-founder Pippa Coombes, it evokes an environmental consciousness with visitors to the beach.

“The launch of the pods went down really well, with local Hapū, Te Whānau a Tauwhao undertaking a Karakia | blessing followed by our Year 6 Students singing a Waiata to officially open the pods,” says student leader Layton Smith.

“This was followed by a day of activities, including Rake Sand Art undertaking a huge piece of beach art spreading the word, and a sustainable sandcastle competition – it was cool how many people turned out.”

Since the launch, the buckets have been used on a daily basis by people flocking to the beach in the warmer weather.

The feedback has been incredible with people sharing posts of how much litter they have collected and where.

Sustainable Waihī Beach really hopes to see a difference in their targeted beach cleans which will give them data to prove or disprove that the pods have an impact on litter.

The targeted beach cleans are undertaken every three months through the Litter Citizen Scientist program in collaboration with Waihi Beach School. 

Damian Horn, who has recently moved to Waihī Beach, is excited about the system after coming across them on a beach walk.

“I absolutely love the new beach clean pod with the rubbish buckets set up at the Tuna Ave [Yellow Dairy] beach access.

“Having walked this beach pretty much daily for the past six months it was rare I'd see any rubbish. But armed with the bucket and actively looking out for trash I managed to fill a bucket [15 litres] today in less than 30 minutes.”

The pod system is funded by the Western Bay of Plenty Council.

“As a council, we’re committed to waste minimisation and improving the environment, and any initiative that gets people to rethink their behaviour when it comes to waste can only be a good thing,” says Mayor James Denyer.

“I applaud the Waihī Beach School tamariki who are stepping up as kaitiaki of this mahi to encourage residents and visitors to use the pods effectively. This is inspirational and something we should all get behind.”

Why not pop down to Waihī Beach and give the pods a go, tag yourself in @sustainablewaihibeach to win spot prizes for the coolest and most original pics!