The nasty, dangerous and weird things in southern recycling bins
A dead goat, a live handgun, medical syringes, a meth pipe, a sheep’s head, duck remains and dirty nappies aplenty are among the contaminants tipped out of Southland’s recycling bins in the past 12 months.
Also spilling out have been dead lambs, marijuana clippings, frozen meat, concrete blocks, manky carpet, crayfish remains, dismantled firearms and an intact toilet.
The upshot is that 18% of the contents of recycling bin collection in Invercargill city and Southland district is contaminated, and ends up in the regional landfill.
WasteNet chairman Keith Hovell said it was disappointing to see the range and volume of inappropriate items, which added cost and posed a danger to workers processing the bins.
“Bin audits’’ were conducted in identified problem areas and WasteNet’s member councils had the option of suspending services to repeat offenders.
“That is a matter for them to consider,’’ Hovell said.
During the next few months, WasteNet would itself be seeking advice as to what other options could be available.
Dirty nappies were a particular problem all year round, Hovell said.
Almost all the disposable nappies produced were unable to be reused, recycled or reprocessed, and they needed to be put in the red-top bins for disposal. Hovell also repeated a reminder issued to duck hunters before the start of the season to bury the waste, add it to compost, or place it in a bag in the red bin.
Changes in Government regulations meant recycling had become more complicated, he said.
Not all glass, plastic paper or metal was recyclable in council collection services.
WasteNet was undertaking an extensive publicity programme to better inform people in the city and Southland district - importantly the “Wash it, De-top it and Don’t Squash It’’ message.
For Gore residents, at present only glass was recycled in the yellow bins. “But please no broken glass. That should be in the red bins,’’ Hovell said.
Full recycling for Gore was proposed to restart in April next year, which allowed a good lead in time to ensure residents were fully informed about what they could dispose through the collection service.
Just because an item was not accepted for kerbside recycling did not mean it could not be recycled at all. Many community groups and businesses were collecting a wide range of recyclable materials, detailed on the WasteNet website recycling page.
Also spilling out have been dead lambs, marijuana clippings, frozen meat, concrete blocks, manky carpet, crayfish remains, dismantled firearms and an intact toilet.