As the community starts with the massive clean up after last week's devastating floods and landslips, Nelson City Council is making it easier to dump rubbish from flood-affected properties.
Skips are being placed around the region where the worst flood damage occurred, to allow for the disposal of small household items.
This includes the Nile St, The Wood, Tāhunanui and Atawhai areas, and the council will monitor demand and place more skips if needed. Skips will be available for two weeks from Monday 22 August.
"Please only use these skips to dispose of small flood-damaged goods - it’s not the time to clear out your garage, please think of others in your community that have suffered damage to their homes and need the space. Additional options are being considered by Civil Defence for the disposal of larger flood-damaged items such as furniture, whiteware, carpets, and rugs, so please keep an eye out for more information," says a council spokesperson.
Transfer stations around the region will accept flood-damaged goods for free for a period of two weeks from today, Monday 22 August 2022. This is for goods that were damaged during the weather event during the week 15 to 21 August, and customers will be asked to sign a declaration that the goods were damaged because of the flooding.
There are also two sites to dispose of soil and mud deposited around homes by flooding. These are: Stoke (corner of Main Road Stoke and Saxton Road – the old Circus set up location) and Miyazu Gardens (the northern end). These sites are for households and can accommodate small trucks and cars with trailers and are open 8 am – 6 pm.
There is also an additional site at Vickerman Street (opposite Brusco Nelson) for commercial operators and large vehicles.
"We understand the importance of a swift clean-up, but please ensure you contact your insurance provider and take pictures to record damage where possible prior to removing flood-damaged goods," says the spokesperson.
Civil Defence group controller Ian Macdonald said he was heartened by the images of the community helping each other.
“We’ve seen people out with spades, helping to dig out their neighbour's driveway and all working together to try and restore Nelson to some sense of normalcy.”
The National Emergency Management Agency has the following advice about cleaning up after flooding:
Protect yourself by wearing:
Throw away anything that was wet with flood water and can’t be cleaned.
Throw away any wooden spoons, plastic utensils, and baby bottle teats and dummies if they have been covered by floodwater. There is no way to safely clean them.
Disinfect metal pans and utensils by boiling them in clean water.
For more information go to: https://getready.govt.nz/en/emergency/floods/
