MEDIA RELEASE
25 June 2008
 

Businesses step up on pollution prevention

More than 100 Tauranga-based businesses have helped improve run-off from an industrial area into Tauranga’s harbour and waterways.

Around 130 firms were part of a pollution prevention programme run by Environment Bay of Plenty and Tauranga City Council staff in March and April.

The aim was to work with businesses in Maleme Street Industrial Area to minimise their impact on the environment.  Maleme Street Industrial Area was chosen because it was a high risk for stormwater, air, land and water pollution.

Teams from the two councils visited around 130 industrial and commercial sites in the Maleme Street area from late March and throughout April to raise awareness of work practices, site set up and equipment that could cause pollution to run into our waterways or affect air quality.

Project manager Adrian Heays was delighted to discover that many businesses were open to working with council staff to make their sites more sustainable.

“We would like to thank the staff at the firms we visited who were already working in a way that minimised pollution and to those who were so receptive to working with council staff on improving their work practices,” Mr Heays said.

“Adopting these practices will also help them run their businesses more efficiently as a pollution spill could lead to lost production in terms lost product, the cost of spill response and clean up, as well as the cost of possible fines, legal fees and prosecution.”

Four infringement notices have been served on one business which was found to be discharging waste into a drain that feeds into the stream beside Maleme Street. This stream flows into the Waimapu stream which flows into the Waimapu Estuary.

This is a pilot project and will be the first in a series of assessments of industrial sites in the Bay of Plenty.

If any business owner or manager would like advice on pollution prevention call Environment Bay of Plenty’s Pollution Prevention team on 0800 ENV BOP or a Tauranga City Council Pollution Prevention officer on 07 577 7000.

Ends.

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