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A Waikato landfill has been arrested for taking waste for which it did not have consent.
Video provided to Stuff appears to show bales of plastic that Auckland locals thought would be recycled, including plastics like old Coca-Cola bottles, which were left at the Puke Coal landfill in Waikato.
Stuff has received photos and videos of the Puke Coal landfill in Waikato receiving untreated plastic and wood bullets. The plastic, which is packaged in bales ready for recycling, appears to have been dumped in the landfill, near a stream where the waste had the potential to leak into the local water supply.
Sarah Bourke, Community Safety Manager for the Waikato District Council, confirmed that Puke Coal had been detained for violating his consent in August, the month some of the images were taken.
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“In August 2020, the Waikato District Council inspected the site and found that packaged plastics were present, in violation of the conditions of consent,” he said.
The council said it was currently considering application options and would follow up on the video.
Bourke said it was possible that the plastic bullets in the photos were separate from the landfill itself, and that the owner could be collecting the bullets to remove them from the site.
Stuff Tried to tell Puke Coal that, but they told him to “go to hell.”
“I’ll tell you right now that I don’t want to have anything to do with Stuff and I don’t want to have anything to do with you and as far as we’re concerned, we’re not doing anything wrong and we’re going to hell, “said a spokesperson for Puke Coal.
“Without commenting, I have nothing to say to you and, as far as I am concerned, you can go to hell,” he said.
Supplied / Stuff
Bales of plastic and other waste dumped at Puke Coal in Waikato
Puke Coal has recently been described as “hell on earth,” after some of the plastic bullets at the site caught fire earlier this month, generating toxic smoke that covered the surrounding countryside.
The site was on fire for weeks.
The scandal has swept away the popular Auckland waste company Green Gorilla, an Auckland-based waste and recycling services company.
Stuff it also has video footage showing Green Gorilla trucks dropping plastic bullets at the site.
Green Gorilla likes to promote its green credentials and proudly says it diverts approximately 75,000 tons of waste from landfill each year.
Green Gorilla has also received a $ 3.1 million grant from the Government for a new commercial and industrial waste line, which can process mixed commercial and industrial waste and divert it from the landfill.
Green Gorilla CEO Elaine Morgan said the only waste her company had shipped to Puke Coal met the “waste acceptance criteria” they had provided.
Supplied / Stuff
Waste dumped at Puke Coal.
“Green Gorilla disposes of waste at Puke Coal, which meets the waste acceptance criteria provided to us,” he said.
Morgan also said Green Gorilla had switched to another “elimination point” after the Puke Coal fire. I intended to continue using these sites.
Stuff He has confirmed with the city that Puke Coal was not authorized to carry plastic bales. Puke Coal may have passed incorrect or misleading waste criteria to Green Gorilla, but Puke Coal has so far refused to clarify that.
Bourke said Puke Coal had “a number of active land use consents in connection with the works at the site.”
She said the council was considering more action.
“In August 2020, the Waikato District Council inspected the site and found that packaged plastics were present, in violation of the consent conditions.
“We require that corrective action be taken in relation to that violation and we are currently exploring more enforcement options.
“We note that the plastics packaged in the photos provided appear to be separate from the landfill itself; the owner may be collecting this material for removal from the site following an earlier order from the Waikato District Council, but we will do further inquiries to investigate, ”he said.
