Rubbish barge back for boaties in Bay of Islands

A mobile summer rubbish barge will be back on the water in the Bay of Islands this summer from Monday 28 December.

The staffed barge – a familiar site in the Bay during the summer holiday season – is a joint venture between the Northland Regional and Far North District Councils, the Department of Conservation and contractors Waste Management.

It offers a service for both local and visiting boaties who are encouraged to use it to help keep the Bay of Islands rubbish-free.

The barge service will begin summer operations Monday 28 December and will run again Thursday 31 December.  After then, the weather-dependent service will generally operate on Mondays and Fridays until Friday 29 January.

On operational days it will visit Urupukapuka Island campsites from 9am to 10am before mooring close to the south-eastern end of Moturua Island from 10.30am to 1pm (hours will reduce as demand drops off toward the end of January).

A flat $7 fee per rubbish bag applies, regardless of whether pre-paid or plain bags are used. Extra-large bags will incur an additional charge. Recyclables are accepted with the cost depending on quantity and cleanliness; typically somewhere between $2 and $5 with more for dirty recycling.

Shore-based facilities are available daily from 7am to 6pm at Opua (by the fuel jetty Far North Holdings car park) from Boxing Day to Friday 29 January and at Rawhiti (Kaingahoa campground, Kaingahoa Bay, Rawhiti Rd) from Friday 18 December until the end of February. (Both sites are on closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day.)

To find out more visit www.nrc.govt.nz/rubbishbarge