Current waste issues
We're researching several categories of waste that affect Canterbury and have national relevance.
Tyres
Burning tyres is illegal and is nationally prohibited under the National Environmental Standard for Air Quality (2004). In Canterbury, the burning of all rubber, including tyres, is prohibited under the Canterbury Air Regional Plan (CARP) rule 7.7(a).
For information on the pollutants and the possible health and environmental effects associated with them please view our tyre disposal brochure.
If you think someone is burning tyres please call Environment Canterbury on 0800 765 588.
To view district council facilities in Canterbury that accept tyres please see the below links or look at our brochure.
- Ashburton District Council
- Christchurch City Council
- Hurunui District Council
- Kaikoura District Council
- Mackenzie District Council
- Selwyn District Council
- Timaru District Council
- Waimakariri District Council
For more information on the storage and stockpiling of end of life tyres see Waikato Regional Council’s guidance.
Coal Tar
Coal Tar is a historical by-product of the gasworks industry, widely used as a sealant and road metal binder through the first half of the 20th Century. Its use was widespread in Christchurch, with approximately 50% of the urban pre 1985 road network affected. Coal tar is relatively stable in a situation, however once disturbed it is highly toxic and needs to be treated as a hazardous substance.
Coal tar contains high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are an eco-toxin and can be a risk to human health. Environment Canterbury is working closely with Christchurch City Council to ensure discovered coal tar is treated appropriately.
For more information or concerns relating to a coal tar discovery, please contact customer services on 03 353 9007 or email pollutionprevention.enquiries@ecan.govt.nz
Treated timber
Treated timber is a hazardous waste and currently the only viable option for its disposal in Canterbury is landfilling.
Not only is this costly, but we also get nothing back from this waste. We don't reuse, recycle or recover energy from it because of the difficulty of dealing with the treatment of chemicals in the timber.
We need to look at alternative options in Canterbury, and wider New Zealand, which aim to reuse, recycle or recover energy from treated timber and start using this waste as a resource.
Treated Timber Waste Minimisation Project
The Treated Timber Waste Minimisation Project was completed in December 2013.
It tested the feasibility of, and subsequently developed, a sustainable business model for the large scale collection and reuse, recycling and/or recovery of hazardous treated timber waste.
It had a particular focus on earthquake-related building and demolition waste.
The Government's Waste Minimisation Fund provided $145,000 towards the total project cost of $190,900.
Environment Canterbury, the Building Research Association of New Zealand, Scion, and the Canterbury Waste Joint Committee also contributed to the cost of the project.