Dropoff level established for contaminated colored sand

Ashburton District Council is urging residents to maintain contaminated colored sand merchandise out their kerbside garbage bins and as a substitute convey them to the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park from Thursday this week.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has recalled sure colored sand merchandise, usually bought as play objects for kids, after impartial testing confirmed the presence of tremolite asbestos.

Group Manager of Infrastructure, Neil McCann says that materials containing asbestos shouldn’t be usually accepted regionally, nonetheless the Council realised that the rising recall might depart residents with out an accessible disposal choice.

“The safety of our community is our primary concern, so we don’t want to see these products showing up in the wrong places where they could pose a risk to health,” mentioned Mr McCann.

“We’re setting up an area at the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park for contaminated items, and people will be able to drop them off at no charge as long as they’re sealed correctly.”

Neil McCann says that individuals ought to fastidiously observe  MBIE’s advice when coping with the contaminated sand. While asbestos is a critical well being hazard, the chance from these merchandise is taken into account low if dealt with appropriately and disposed of safely:

• Place the sand in a sealed container, then double-bag in thick plastic, seal with tape, and clearly label as Asbestos Contaminated Material.
• Do not vacuum or combine with family garbage. For clean-up recommendation, verify the Health NZ web site – Asbestos in sand
• Bring the bagged container to the drop-off lanes on the recycling space of the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park
• Let employees know that you’ve got a contaminated sand product, they may give you a Hazibag and directions for drop-off.

MBIE says that customers ought to cease utilizing contaminated merchandise instantly and never let youngsters contact or play with the sand. Products affected by the recall embrace:

• EC Rainbow Sand (1.3kg)
• Creatistics Coloured Sand (1kg)
• Four magic sand merchandise bought at Kmart NZ:
  • 14-piece Sand Castle Building Set (Batch no: 42975724)
  • Blue Magic Sand (Batch no: 42304364)
  • Green Magic Sand (Batch no: 432919650)
  • Pink Magic Sand (Batch no: 42304371)

For extra particulars on the recall, go to MBIE’s website.

Only the recalled sand merchandise shall be accepted on the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park, another materials containing asbestos stays prohibited.