Western Bay of Plenty District Council has set up dedicated drop-off bins at its Te Puke and Katikati Recycling Centres for anyone needing to safety dispose of recalled coloured sand products.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) issued a public recall for rainbow sand from Educational Colours and coloured sand from Creatistics, after tests found tremolite (a naturally occurring asbestos).
The Council is urging people to dispose of the recalled products responsibly, by using the dedicated bins and not putting them in kerbside rubbish or recycling bins.
The clearly marked disposal bins will be available during the recycling centres’ usual opening hours as below:
Te Puke Recycling Centre, 36 Station Road
Tuesday – 8am to 5pm
Thursday – 8am to 5pm
Saturday – 8am to 4pm
Katikati Recycling Centre, Corner Tetley and Wills Roads
Thursday – 9am to 4pm
Saturday – 9am to 4pm
MBIE has advised people to stop using the products immediately. Before disposing of the sand, it should be placed in a sealed container, then double-bagged in thick plastic, sealed with tape and clearly labelled as ‘Asbestos-Contaminated Material’.
Retailers should arrange disposal through a licensed asbestos removal specialist – registered providers can be found on the WorkSafe website.
Affected products identified in the recall:
- EC Rainbow Sand (1.3kg) – previously recalled
- Creatistics Coloured Sand (1kg) – previously recalled
- 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).
