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The HazMobile in Tauranga

MEDIA RELEASE

Hundreds of households safer due to HazMobile

For immediate release: Friday 10 March 2006

About 700 households are now all the safer thanks to a recent visit to Tauranga by the hazardous waste collection service called the HazMobile.

Brought to the city by Environment Bay of Plenty and Tauranga City Council, the HazMobile set up at the Maleme Street Transfer Station on Saturday 4 March. Over five hours, a steady stream of vehicles brought in tonnes of unwanted – and at times dangerous – products for processing.

Tauranga City Council’s Murray Kliskey says substances included small quantities of difficult wastes like 245T and DDT and poisons like cyanide. However, the bulk of it was garden and household chemicals.

The number of vehicles fell slightly this year, which is probably quite good, he says. “We always hoped we would eventually reach an equilibrium – that people would have cleared out all of their really old chemicals and only need to bring us relatively recent waste chemicals.”

The HazMobile’s next stop is in Katikati on Saturday 18 March. It will be at the Talisman Drive Carpark behind the Memorial Hall from 10am to 2pm. The HazMobile will accept hazardous materials like solvents and paint strippers, glues, all types of garden chemicals and cleaners, batteries and old gas cylinders. However, it is not allowed to accept medical waste or explosives and cannot transport materials containing asbestos. It also does not take waste from commercial operators.

For more information call Environment Bay of Plenty on 0800 ENV BOP (368 267) or go to www.envbop.govt.nz.

ENDS

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