Hazardous Waste

The below materials have higher environmental harm than others when land-filled.

Asbestos

Council does not accept any asbestos at the Transfer Stations. Please refer to the Yellow Pages under Asbestos.

For Health and Safety requirements contact WorkSafe New Zealand. If you have discovered asbestos in your own property, the Ministry of Health website has some information to help keep you safe.

Batteries

Batteries are classified as a hazardous waste as they are flammable when placed under pressure e.g. if they get compressed in a rubbish truck.

The following types of batteries should not be placed in your household rubbish or recycling bin and can be taken to the Te Maunga transfer station located on Truman Lane free of charge.

Car batteries (or return to supplier who changes your car battery)
Cell phone batteries and other small electronics batteries which are difficult to remove from the device can be dropped at the recycle centre at Te Maunga transfer station free of charge
Standard household batteries AA, AAA, A, and small cell batteries (round batteries and hearing aid batteries).
Where And How To Recycle Batteries - Bunnings New Zealand

Electronic waste (e-waste)

Electronic waste contains reusable resources and potentially harmful materials so should not be placed into rubbish or recycling bins.

Most items can be dropped for free recycling at Te Maunga transfer station. A full list can be found under Free recyclable material.

For anything not accepted on this list contact Computer Recyclers NZ.

Fluorescent Tubes including Eco-Bulbs

Fluorescent tubes and Eco-bulbs contain mercury and phosphor that is dangerous for humans and our natural environment. These items need to be taken to special locations for safe recycling in Tauranga.

Residential volumes are accepted at:

Te Maunga transfer station recycling area
Mitre 10 Mega, Tauranga

Commercial volumes:

Rexel Electrical Supplies, Tauranga. This is a charged service to ensure the bulbs are correctly recycled. The charges are $2 excl GST per Eco-bulb or fluorescent tube

For large quantities of fluorescent tubes or Eco-bulbs, boxes can also be bought directly from Interwaste. The cost of each box covers the collection and recycling of the light bulbs.

You can contact Interwaste direct on 0800 102 131.

Medical waste

Medical waste is not accepted at the Transfer Stations. Businesses should contact one of the following contractors for appropriate disposal of medical waste:

Interwaste (0800 102 131)
Nitrogen X (0800 22 33 85)
Waste Management (0800 888 278)

There is a New Zealand Needle Exchange programme for needles that have been used for drugs. Find a list of participating outlets in the region.

New Zealand Needle Exchange programme.

Paints - Oil and Water Based

Resene Paint shop will accept Resene paints free and other brands at a cost for recycling of the tins and processing of the paint.

Paints - Lead Based

Lead based paint (in a can) can no longer be purchased. If you have old lead based paints at home these can be disposed of as a hazardous waste at the Transfer Station.

Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms only present as hazardous waste in large quantities. For individual smoke alarms it is acceptable to put it out in your normal rubbish disposal. Every cubic metre of New Zealand soil, on average, contains naturally occurring radioactive material equivalent to about thirteen smoke detectors.
National Radiation Laboratory website