Another successful Waipā district hazardous household waste collection day

Waipā district residents recently turned out in good numbers to dispose of over 5.5 tonnes of hazardous household waste.

The MyHazWaste event, funded by the Waipā District Council and run by chemical disposal experts 3R Group gave residents the opportunity to dispose of hazardous waste like pesticides, household cleaners, automotive materials and pool chemicals, for free.

3R Group’s National Programme Manager – Chemicals, Jason Richards says the collections always unearth interesting finds. This event was no different, he says, with around six kilogrammes of cyanide being brought in for safe disposal.

“People often don’t know what’s at the back of the shed until they do a cleanout. The most important thing with these collections is we don’t want people to dump this material, put it in landfill or tip it down the stormwater.

“By running these events we can make sure the material is collected, segregated and compliantly disposed of,” Jason says.

The event saw a 15% increase in collections from the 2022 MyHazWaste event, which netted some 4.8 tonnes of chemicals, says Waipā District Council Waste Minimisation Advisor Shelley Wilson.

“3R Group make it really easy for us to hold this event, which we hold every year. We provide a site, and staff members or volunteers and they just make it so easy by handling everything,” she says.

Jason says most of the material they collect at MyHazWaste events are small quantities, so there is the perception that they aren’t as hazardous as commercial quantities, but in reality they are,” Jason says.

3R Group has been offering the MyHazWaste service since 2018, which provides councils with tailored hazardous household waste collection events. They also provide an important education opportunity, allowing councils the chance to share existing and new ways of dealing with hazardous household waste with residents, Jason says.