HDC Cyclone Gabrielle flood-damaged waste update

Hastings District Council is now collecting its residents’ flood-damaged household goods for free. This free collection service will apply only to items picked up from the verge outside flooded properties on nominated days.

Council has spent the past week organising trucks, staff and a disposal site to deal with the unprecedented volume of waste produced by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Hastings District Council Incident Controller Raoul Oosterkamp said staff were grateful for residents’ patience as the logistical complexities of the collection service were worked through.

“Hastings District spans over 5000km2, with many of the most affected areas within our territory. Our usual waste disposal system is not equipped to cope with the volume and type of waste produced by this event. Waste has been a top priority for us for some time now, with many of our team working hard to come up with a solution,” he said.

“We are pleased to be able to support our vulnerable communities, who have already been through so much, with a free service to collect their damaged goods as they clear out their homes.”

Residents will be advised when their flood waste collection day is and are asked to refrain from putting their goods out until that time.

“It’s really important that people keep their goods out of the gutters, so our stormwater system can continue to safely operate in the case of more rain,” Mr Oosterkamp said.

Residents should photograph their goods prior to collection, for insurance purposes.

Plans for silt and green waste disposal will be made available as soon as possible.

For all other waste, normal kerbside rubbish collection has resumed this week (on normal days) and Henderson Road Transfer Station is operating as normal. Usual hours and fees will apply.

22 February 2023

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