Concerns about old and unwanted agrichemicals lying around on rural properties around New Zealand prompted the Ministry for the Environment to last year launch a national clean-up campaign, in partnership with the country’s Regional Councils.
The Northland leg of the campaign began in August last year with a successful trial that saw Northland Regional Council staff collect several tonnes of unwanted chemicals from the Kaipara area. The collection expanded into the Far North District in November and December, netting another 1.5 tonnes of chemicals.
Regional Council Waste Management Team Leader Jerry Nelson says the Council is now turning its attention to the rural parts of the Whāngārei District, with five free collections planned, beginning at Hikurangi on Monday, 14 March and ending at Uretiti on Wednesday, 30 March.
Mr Nelson says the chemicals targeted for collection can pose environmental and human/animal health risks, especially if stored in leaking, damaged or unlabelled containers.
As with both the Kaipara and Far North collections, the rural Whāngārei collection is an “amnesty of sorts”, with banned substances like DDT, Dieldrin, PCBs and Chlordane on the list of collection priorities.
Other substances to be collected include old, unwanted, or unidentifiable agrichemicals, dairy shed cleaners, animal treatments and empty containers. Not covered by the service are explosives, infectious substances, radioactive wastes, waste oil, paint, vehicle batteries and general household or farm wastes.
Mr Nelson says property owners with a large quantity of chemicals, or where the containers are unsafe or deteriorating should contact the Council to arrange to have the chemicals collected, rather than risk moving them themselves.
The Council will collect and transport chemicals in the ‘HazMobile’ – a specially-modified Mitsubishi L300 van funded by the Ministry for the Environment.
Mr Nelson says members of the public who do transport hazardous wastes and chemicals to the collection venues themselves should ensure that all containers are securely packaged so that they don’t leak or emit fumes.
Rural property owners can check collection times and venues by visiting the Council’s website www.nrc.govt.nz or by phoning the Regional Council on (0800) 002 004.
Chemicals gathered during the collection will be disposed of by Ministry for the Environment.