Nearly 1400 households are now all the safer because of hazardous waste collections in the Bay of Plenty this year.

Tonnes of unwanted products, from DDT to old paints, were taken to the HazMobile in four visits to the region between March and May. The visits were organised by Environment Bay of Plenty and local district and city councils.

Whakatane residents brought “some really nasty stuff” to the HazMobile.

Environment Bay of Plenty’s Paul Futter was very pleased with the response. “It was really worth the effort, not just because of the numbers who came, but because of what they brought in. Many of the items we received were very old and in containers that were falling apart, which made them accidents just waiting to happen. Some products, such as DDT and 245T, are now banned.”

Mr Futter says the sheer volume collected meant some district councils are still processing them. Many items are able to be recycled while others will be disposed of safely, he explains.

The HazMobile facility was set up for a day each in Tauranga and Te Puke in March, Opotiki in April and Whakatane in May. The visit to Whakatane was a first for the town.

“The response from Whakatane was fantastic. Many people had a good clean out, and brought in some really nasty stuff. They’d obviously had it sitting in their sheds for a long time and hadn’t known what to do with it.”

© Scoop Media