The Great DDT Muster

Published on 18 October 2017

18 October 2017

Farmers and other users of agrichemicals and pesticides are being urged to check their sheds and chemical stores for DDT or other banned pesticides as part of the Great DDT Muster.

The Great DDT Muster, managed by the 3R Group, is a nationwide campaign for the free collection and disposal of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). POPs include Lindane, Dieldrin, Chlordane, Aldrin and other pesticides which were in widespread use in rural New Zealand in the 1940s to 1970s.

POPs are chemicals that persist in the environment and are known to cause adverse effects to health. Cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes have been linked to POPs. Exposure to POPs during pregnancy has been linked to developmental defects in children.

The Muster is supported by the Whanganui District Council Waste Minimisation Working Party, through the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund. 

While POPs haven’t been sold or used for many years, some people still have them stored on their property because they don’t know what they are, what to do with them or have been unwilling to pay for collection.

It is illegal to use, store or discharge POPs into the environment, so the Muster is an opportunity to dispose of them safely. Since the Muster began two years ago, about 10,000 kg of chemicals have been collected.

Visit http://thegreatddtmuster.co.nz/ to book your collection or to download a booking form. More information is available by calling 0508 374 768. Bookings close on Tuesday 31 October 2017. Any bookings will be handled in confidence.

Collections will be held during November and December 2017.