The Council’s last free collection in the Far North was in late 2004 when more than a tonne of hazardous agrichemicals were collected, some of which had been banned in New Zealand for many years.
Regional Council Waste Management Team Leader Jerry Nelson says the 2004 haul had also included an unopened 44-gallon drum of the long-banned herbicide 245-T.
Mr Nelson says the Regional Council will hold collections at four Far North sites within a fortnight next month, beginning with a collection at the Awanui Refuse Transfer Station on Monday 20 March and ending at PGG Wrightson Waipapa on Thursday 30 March. Each collection will run from 9.30am to 3pm.
He says the chemicals the Council is keen to collect can pose environmental and human/animal health risks, especially if stored in leaking, damaged or unlabelled containers.
Substances to be collected include banned, obsolete or deregistered chemicals, unwanted or surplus chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dairy shed cleaners, animal remedies and empty agrichemical containers.
However, Mr Nelson says the collection does not include explosives (for example gelignite, ammunition or boat flares), radioactive or medical wastes, automotive batteries, oil or general household or farm wastes.
It was very important that people noted the items the service would not accept as lives had potentially been put at risk when an unknown person had delivered three sticks of aging gelignite to Awanui during the 2004 collection.
Similarly, Mr Nelson says property owners with more than 100kg of chemicals, or containers that are unsafe or deteriorating, should contact the Council to arrange to have the chemicals collected, rather than risk moving them themselves.
After collection, chemicals will go to Whangarei for storage and repackaging before being sent to Auckland from where the Ministry for the Environment will arrange final disposal.
This ranges from export for high temperature incineration, to being rendered chemically inert and being disposed of in New Zealand.
MEDIA NOTE: The collection service is available from 9.30am-3pm at the following Far North locations:
Awanui; Refuse Transfer Station, off State Highway One, Monday 20 March.
Taipa; Refuse Transfer Station, Cnr Paranui & Oruru Rds, Friday 24 March.
Kaikohe; Refuse Transfer Station, Carey Rd, Tuesday 28 March.
Kerikeri; PGG Wrightson Waipapa, State Highway 10, Thursday 30 March.