MEDIA RELEASE
 
 
Hazmobile to be phased out

For immediate release: 2 September2009
 
Environment Bay of Plenty is set to phase out its hazmobile and agrichemical drop off services, following a significant drop in the quantity of chemicals collected this year and the advent of a new nationwide product stewardship scheme.
 
From July 2009, all major providers of agrichemicals began collecting and disposing of unwanted agrichemicals as part of the Agrecovery Chemicals product stewardship scheme.
 
Pollution Prevention Manager Bruce Gardner said the amount of agrichemicals collected at the hazmobile events over the past couple of years had continued to decline.
 
“Environment Bay of Plenty will encourage the use of the new product stewardship scheme as the first port of call for those with agrichemicals to hand in,” Mr Gardner said.
 
Environment Bay of Plenty will run hazmobile, where the public can bring household hazardous waste and agrichemical waste to, in February and March next year. However that could be the last hazmobile event.
 
Mr Gardner said Environment Bay of Plenty’s long term involvement in the disposal of agrichemicals would undermine the product stewardship scheme.
 
The regional council will continue to dispose of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) such as 245-T, Lindane, Dieldrin and DDT, which have been long banned however it will only dispose of other legacy agrichemicals - those chemicals which have expired for two years or more and are not covered in the product stewardship programme – for another year.
 
The Ministry for the Environment will fund $100,000 nationwide for the 2009/10 financial year to pay for the disposal of legacy agrichemicals.
 
To find out more about the Agrecovery Chemicals product stewardship programme go to www.agrecovery.co.nz
 
Old computers, mobile phones and digital cameras can be recycled at eDay on 12 September 2009 in Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatane. For more information go to www.envbop.govt.nz
 
ends

© Scoop Media