Fewer nasty chemicals handed in

Almost 700 people recently took advantage of the free service, at two locations in Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt. Each car dropped off an average of 12kg of hazardous waste – more than 7.8 tonnes all up.

Hutt City Council Environmental Sustainability Advisor Sandy Beath-Croft said there was a noticeable decrease in the amount of toxic chemicals dropped off this year. And, for the first time, cyanide and strychnine made no appearance in the collection.

The hazardous waste drop-off has been an annual occurrence for the last 10 years, and it may be that pesticides and other chemicals lurking in local garden sheds have finally all been cleared out, says Sandy.

On the other hand, more paint than usual was handed in this year. Organisers had anticipated taking away six large containers of paint, but an extra 10 needed to be called in. The paint is taken to Enviropaint in Otaki, where it’s re-mixed into usable products.