The Motueka litter cart, which retired at the same time as long-time operator Nolan Duff, will be spinning its wheels again this week.
Duffy operated the litter cart for more than a decade, tidying the streets of Motueka, and when he hit 65, it was time to hang up his grabber claw.
Now, 19-year-old Emma Hobson, who is transitioning from Motueka High School, is going to be steering the cart along Motueka’s streets every Monday morning, with some help from her teacher aides.
Her hours will be a little different to Duffy’s – she’ll be setting off at 9am rather than the crack of dawn – but just like her predecessor, she intends to finish her run with a coffee at The Village Cafe.
The duty came her way after her teacher aide Ellie Evitt noted Duffy’s retirement.
“We decided, well, this is perfect, because on Monday we clean up parks and bike tracks,” Ellie says, adding that they have been doing this together for about a year.
She contacted Our Town Motueka coordinator Claire Hutt, who is thrilled that the distinctive yellow cart will be back in use.
Emma lives on the Tākaka Hill. Her mother runs the Ngarua Caves, and she loves helping her father with his cattle. She says she is keen to make the environment cleaner and nicer for our town’s visitors.
