Wellington - A New Zealand woman has declared her own personal war on waste, collecting a whopping 1,300 kilograms of rubbish from the roads surrounding her home so far this year.
Carol Lamb collects rubbish as she travels around New Zealand's North Island town of Taupo on her electric bike. Since the end of January she's covered 1,600 kilometres, picking up rubbish and taking it home to weigh and record it.
Lamb posts photos and details of her rubbish-collecting exploits on her Facebook page, recording a mass haul of 70 kilograms of takeaway and alcohol containers after an expedition in August.
"It is just horrendous what these car litter louts do, they just toss their stuff out the window and it litters our highways," she said.
Lamb claims that although has been picking up rubbish for a long time, but the problem has become worse recently.
"I decided instead of complaining, I would go out and do it."
Lamb is campaigning for the introduction of a national television campaign to raise awareness and deter litterbugs. She is also hoping her local council will agree to install new anti-littering signs around the district.
The Taupo District Council said the litter problem had increased over the last year, with around 1.8 tons of rubbish now being collected each week.
A spokesperson, Lisa Nairne, told local website Stuff that the council was now working with Lamb on the issue.
dpa