It was something Darren Squibb predicted, and sadly he has been proven right ... the amount of rubbish along the highway, especially around the Nambucca Heads Service Centre ramps, has skyrocketed since its opening two years ago.
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"I pick rubbish up around this area on average a couple of times a week and it takes no time at all to fill a large sack," Darren said.
"I do the lay-bys and the north/south ramps and it is always the same - McDonalds, followed by Kentucky Fried, coffee cups and lids ... I just don't get the mentality, why do people trash the countryside?"
Lending a helping hand is 'Tagalong' Tim, who said he was there with Darren because "if this bloke is mad enough to do this, I'm daft enough to help".
"It's not just this service centre - it is the same at any of the hundreds of centres along any of our highways," Tim said.
And even more telling ... not 50 metres away, surrounded by rubbish, is the sign telling people where they can deposit their rubbish further down the highway.
The mayor, Rhonda Hoban, said the council continually gets phone calls regarding the mess and just last week she took the issue up with the RMS in a meeting.
"The RMS own the Service Centre site and it is the people using it who are leaving the litter," Rhonda said.
"They said they would speak to the business operators, asking them to share the message widely with visitors and also ensure there are plenty of bins for people to use.
"We also asked them about all the tyre litter around that area. Apparently trucks tend to throw rubber on the concrete surfaces of the round-about and the slip road. They have said they will attend to it."
The handover of the old Pacific Highway was another item on the agenda ... with the RMS having nothing new to add, as it is in the process of being absorbed into the Department of Transport.
"Everything is on hold while the merger takes place.
"We impressed upon them the State Government demands our long-term financial plan, which requires these additional assets."