Bin cleaners spare our waterways
Tuesday 25 September 2012, 1:25PM
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As the council keeps up its drive to halt disposal of wastewater in stormwater drains, a Hutt company has launched a service that lends support to that campaign.
EnviroBin cleans wheelie bins using a self-contained truck unit that ensures barely a drop of wastewater makes it to the gutter. The unit carries 500 litres of water, which can clean up to 400 bins by recycling the contaminated water through eight separate filters.
The water is heated, pressured, given a squirt of biodegradable detergent and then blasted into bins to remove bacteria, dirt, fats and anything else stuck on the sides. The bins are then wiped down – and even given a spray of sanitizer – before being returned.
The contaminated water then goes to a certified disposal station.
Council trade waste manager Gordon George says some commercial businesses, particularly restaurants and other food premises, continue to wash out bins with no thought for where the wastewater will go.
“The simple fact is that anything that goes down a stormwater drain will end up in a waterway, and ultimately the sea. If we want to protect our environment, we have to stop this entrenched behaviour – whether it’s cleaning the family car or washing commercial bins and mats on the road or paved areas.”