Hazardous items sending kerbside recyclable materials up in smoke

Auckland Council is appealing to Aucklanders to do the right thing when they need to dispose of flammable and hazardous items following the third kerbside recycling collection truck blaze in less than a month. The fires mean that potentially up to 19 tonnes of valuable recyclable materials have had to be sent to landfill instead of being recycled.

Yesterday, a fire broke out in a recycling truck in a Warkworth residential street. Investigations are underway to determine the cause. The truck had to be diverted and the load was jettisoned in a new subdivision where the load was assessed without posing a risk to local residents, housing, or passing pedestrians and with minimal disruption to traffic.

“Our kerbside recycling collection service is designed to only recycle plastic, glass, steel, and aluminium containers from our kitchens, bathrooms, and laundries, as well as paper and cardboard. Flammable and hazardous items pose a significant risk in our recycling trucks, especially when the compaction equipment is used,” says Parul Sood, General Manager Waste Solutions.

“It’s a shame to see tonnes of recyclable materials going up in smoke. Once the materials are burnt and contaminated by foam, we have to send the materials to landfill. It’s a backwards step for our environment. Next week is Recycling Week NZ, so we’d encourage Aucklanders to do their bit and recycle right.”

For full media release, see attachment or visit OurAuckland.

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