Ashburton District Council is urging residents to keep contaminated coloured sand products out their kerbside rubbish bins and instead bring them to the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park from Thursday this week.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has recalled certain coloured sand products, often sold as play items for children, after independent testing confirmed the presence of tremolite asbestos.

Group Manager of Infrastructure, Neil McCann says that material containing asbestos is not normally accepted locally, however the Council realised that the growing recall could leave residents without an accessible disposal option.

“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,” said 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 people should carefully follow  MBIE’s advice when dealing with the contaminated sand. While asbestos is a serious health hazard, the risk from these products is considered low if handled correctly 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 mix with household rubbish. For clean-up advice, check the Health NZ website - Asbestos in sand
• Bring the bagged container to the drop-off lanes at the recycling area of the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park
• Let staff know that you have a contaminated sand product, they will provide you with a Hazibag and instructions for drop-off.

MBIE says that consumers should stop using contaminated products immediately and not let children touch or play with the sand. Products affected by the recall include:

• EC Rainbow Sand (1.3kg)
• Creatistics Coloured Sand (1kg)
• Four magic sand products sold 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 more details on the recall, visit MBIE's website.

Only the recalled sand products will be accepted at the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park, any other material containing asbestos remains prohibited.