Under Environment Canterbury (ECan)'s Natural Resources Regional Plan (NRRP), there are some waste products that you are not allowed to burn. This includes:
| Treated wood | Painted, stained or oiled wood |
| Plastics including silage/bale wrap | Metals and materials containing metals |
| Fuel with a sulphur content greater than 1% by weight | Materials containing asbestos |
| Rubber | Synthetic materials |
| Tar or bitumen | Used or waste oil |
| Motor vehicle parts | Paint and other surface coating materials |
| Sludge from industrial processes | Medical waste, pathological wastes, quarantine waste or animal waste (except as provided for in Rule AQL32 of the Air Plan) |
Untreated wood and green waste can still be burned, but there are restrictions around this regarding the way they affect air quality and to avoid nuisance caused to other people.
If you are unsure of what you can burn and when, contact Environment Canterbury.
Recycling options
Here are some ways you can dispose waste material in a responsible and sustainable way:
Material | For information and advice | Local options |
| For on farm rubbish and recycling collections; individual or joint farm pickups | Envirowaste 03 308 3143 or 0800 627 8249 |
Silage and bale wrap, polypropylene bags, HDPE drums recycling and recovery, vineyard nets, polypropylene twines, irrigation pipe | Plasback (0508 338 240) | Envirowaste |
Agrichemical, animal health and dairy hygiene plastic containers (0-60L) – empty and triple rinsed Agrichemicals, plastic and steel drums 61-1000 litres | Agrecovery (0800 247 326) | Empty and triple rinsed 0-60L containers can be dropped off at Agrecovery drop-off sites at: |
Paint | Resene Paintwise | Ashburton Resource Recovery Park |
Waste oil | Holcim – Geocycle, or ROSE Fulton Hogan (0800 263 645) | Ashburton Resource Recovery Park |
Scrap metal | | |
Other disposal options
Treated or painted timber/wood, asbestos, rubber, medical/pathological wastes, tar/bitumen, motor vehicle parts | Contact a licenced waste disposal contractor or check with your local vet for animal medical wastes and sharps. |
Users of the Wastebusters Farm Recycling Scheme
The Ashburton District Council is notifying farmers in response to the winding down of the WasteBusters Farm Recycling Scheme. Council has been receiving enquiries about this scheme and what farmers should be doing with recycling and rubbish now that this scheme is no longer available.
The situation to date:
The scheme was a private user pays arrangement between WasteBusters Canterbury and their clients.
Council believes there are private interests looking at investing in this scheme with the view to making a business out of it. If a new local business/service can be built from this scheme then that’s great news for our district. At this point in time Council is taking a wait and see approach before it considers what, if any, involvement Council could commit to.
Councils Services:
Farmers are welcome to make use of Council waste facilities. Fees are available here.
Council receives all recycling including bale wrap and farm plastics at its Resource Recovery Parks for free. The Ashburton Resource Recovery Park is also a registered drop off point for agrichemical containers through the Agrecovery Scheme.
We commend those farms that have engaged with the WasteBusters scheme, and we are watching closely to see what the future holds for any new venture.