YouSay

Toxic landfill

There is something very wrong with what is happening in the Dome Valley. Not just because Waste Management want to use it as a dump site, but also because of what our government allows to be imported and dumped in our landfills.

There is no question that Auckland needs somewhere to dump its waste and I am certain that there are better places than on the bank of one of the longest rivers, feeding into one of the largest, most pristine harbours in the world. But scant regard appears to be shown for the thousands of tonnes of toxic waste that is being imported from the Pacific and stored in our landfill. Specifically, and by volume, most appears to be slag and by products of nickel mining from Noumea, in particular. I am very reliably told that this is permanently toxic. It can be neutralised by very high heat incineration and intensive “scrubbing”, but this is not going to happen when it is buried in the ground.

At some point it is going to be released and it will make its way downstream. Waste Management may well be doing the best job possible with the technology that is available and will create a good and secure landfill, but I do not believe we should be burying vast quantities of imported highly toxic waste.

This is not a function of Auckland Council but of the NZ Government.

I ask our MPs, “What can be done and why is this waste not being directed back to the economies that benefit from the nickel and other material being mined?”

The benefit to NZ for burying this is short-term, and being siphoned offshore by Waste Management. The long-term cost is going to be borne by our children and grandchildren.

Stop burying imported toxic waste and do whatever is required to ensure that this is