First annual hazardous waste amnesty
Clean out your cupboards, shed and garage and get ready for the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s first ever Hazardous Waste Amnesty, from 22-25 May.
The amnesty will take place at the Frankton Transfer Station, May 22-23 and Wanaka Transfer Station, May 24-25.
“This is something the community has been asking us to implement for some time,” Queenstown Lakes District Council solid waste manager Stefan Borowy said.
“We are really pleased to offer residents and businesses the opportunity to drop off their hazardous waste. We will arrange for it to be sorted and disposed of safely or recycled if that’s appropriate,” he said.
Most hazardous waste would be accepted, however there were some materials that the council could not accept, including batteries, asbestos, mineral oil, pharmaceuticals, mobile phones.
“There are other options for most of these materials though. Grab a copy of the hazardous waste amnesty fact sheet to find out about how you can dispose of them safely,” Mr Borowy said.
The council had also introduced the Zero Hazardous Waste Toolkit aimed at reducing the amount of hazardous waste being produced, as well as diverting it from the landfill. The toolkit included a Zero Hazardous Waste guide and a directory of contacts.
“The new toolkit is a fantastic new resource, providing information on how we can reduce the amount of hazardous waste we produce and looks at ways to manage the waste we are producing,” Mr Borowy said.
More information about the Hazardous Waste Amnesty, and the Zero Hazardous Waste Toolkit, was available from the council website www.qldc.govt.nz