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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