Farmers and growers are encouraged to use the registered container return site at the Wairoa landfill.

Wairoa District Council has a focus on waste minimisation, and its partnership with Agrecovery puts an emphasis on rural waste.

The recycling service is free for containers from participating brand owners, with the Wairoa Landfill a registered container collection site. Qualifying containers will have the Agrecovery logo on the pack, with over 120 brands participating in the recycling scheme.

The service is ideal for animal health products, such as drench drums. Containers must be plastic, 0-60 litres in size and have the lid removed. Triple rinsing is essential to ensure no chemical residue and dirt inside and out, and the container must be well drained. Please leave the label on the container for identification at the collection site.

To dispose of containers that are not part of the Agrecovery programme, stickers can be purchased from Agrecovery and applied to containers from non-brand owners prior to recycling.

Wairoa District Council Chief Executive Kitea Tipuna said it is great to be able to partner to provide a local industry-specific service that is free for local people.

“There are more and more recycling initiatives being trialled and established. It’s great to be working with Agrecovery, and we look forward to partnering in more waste minimisation schemes in the future.

To use this service, people need to join Agrecovery. They will be given a membership number and a key tag to use when dropping off containers. Being a registered member is free and means you have a record of your recycling activity report through the Agrecovery online portal.  

Agrecovery is a not-for-profit charitable trust. It works with brand owners that distribute agrichemical, animal health, and dairy hygiene products into the New Zealand market and takes responsibility for disposing of these products and their packaging at the end of their useful life.

This is achieved by participating brand owners paying Agrecovery fees and levies to cover programme costs, enabling free container disposal. Containers are then recycled here in NZ into safe end uses, predominantly underground electrical cable cover.   

Agrecovery’s container scheme is accredited by the Minister for the Environment as a Product Stewardship programme under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008.

To be part of the Agrecovery programme, register by heading online to agrecovery.co.nz, phone 0800 247 326 or email info@agrecovery.org.nz

Once you’re registered, take your containers to the Wairoa landfill during opening hours on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 8am – 2pm.

8 February 2024

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