Funding for red zone household hazardous waste disposal
Tuesday 24 January 2012, 2:36PM
By Nick Smith
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The Government will provide $509,000 from the Waste Minimisation Fund to help residents in Canterbury’s red zone to dispose of their hazardous household waste safely, Environment Minister Hon Dr Nick Smith announced today.
“With more than 6000 properties identified in the red zone in suburban Christchurch, it’s important that any hazardous household materials such as cleaning products, paint, LPG, and garden sprays are dealt with in a safe and environmentally-sound way,” Dr Smith says.
“Christchurch City Council is partnering with Waimakariri District Council and Environment Canterbury to provide a free drop off service for residents. A mobile service will collect waste from those unable to bring it in themselves and properties will also be swept for any remaining hazardous waste prior to demolition.
“We don’t want to see these hazardous materials being tipped down drains or buried just to create a future environmental and health risks. This initiative means that residential red zone homeowners can easily and safely dispose of hazardous waste from their properties.”
The initiative was proposed by Christchurch City Council, which in conjunction with Waimakariri District Council and Environment Canterbury, are providing a further $260,000 towards the collection and disposal of the waste.
“The earthquakes in Canterbury have caused an unprecedented amount of waste. This project joins a number of other government supported initiatives to help Canterbury deal with this waste and help the region get back on its feet,” says Dr Smith.