Palmy residents help to safely dispose of over a tonne of chemicals

Published on 21 November 2023

Palmerston North just hit a green milestone with our recent chemical waste drop-off day. Nearly 1,300 kilograms of dangerous materials were collected at our 7 October event and disposed of safely.

Group Manager of Property and Resource Recovery, Bryce Hosking, says the day was a success.

“Even with not-so-great weather, 121 awesome people signed up, and 105 of them actually showed up to do their bit. This turnout, rain or shine, shows how much our community cares about getting rid of waste the right way.”

Among the materials that were collected, more than 410 litres were pesticides, followed by 275 litres of waste oil, and 200 litres of household chemicals.

One of the standout aspects of this year's drop-off day was the collection of 35kgs of Phosphorous, a highly hazardous substance.

Some people even disposed of other tricky things like Lindane, Paraquat, Dieldrin, and 2,4-D, with these cannisters looking extremely dated.

This year’s results almost double the amount collected at the last chemical waste drop-off day which was held in 2020.

“A big shoutout to 3R who helped us run the event, and to everyone who took part. Your efforts show that when we work together, we can make a real difference.”

Mr Hosking reminds people that if chemicals end up in the wrong place, they can cause some nasty damage.

“Never tip chemicals down your drains outside – this can travel to our wastewater treatment plant where it damages our equipment, or it could end up directly in our waterways.”

For more information on what items can be disposed of and where, visit our What goes where page.