Photo: Supplied/NZMEFish & Game says an urgent audit of illegal rural dumps is needed to establish the scale of the problem of farmers burning or burying waste. Media reports this week say regional councils suspect thousands of tonnes of contaminated waste are being buried on farms every year, with other waste including plastic being burned. Fish & Game New Zealand chief executive Martin Taylor said a national audit needed to be carried out by the Ministry for the Environment. He said once the scale of the problem was known, a comprehensive plan was needed to tackle it. There are schemes and reputable companies which handle such waste safely and efficiently and it should be compulsory to use them."

Source: Otago Daily Times February 12, 2018 20:37 UTC