Rubbish barge back for boaties in Bay of Islands

The popular mobile summer rubbish barge service will be back on the water in the Bay of Islands this summer from Wednesday 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 Wednesday 28 December and will run again Saturday 31 December. After then, the weather-dependent service will generally operate (beginning Tuesday 03 January) on Mondays and Fridays until Friday 27 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.

Users are asked to follow the guidance of barge staff. There will be a maximum limit of four people on the barge at any one time and footwear must also be worn for health and safety reasons.

Meanwhile, shore-based facilities are available daily from 7am to 6pm at Opua (by the fuel jetty Far North Holdings car park) from Monday December 26 to Friday 20 January. A Rawhiti site (Kaingahoa campground, Kaingahoa Bay, Rawhiti Rd) is open now from 9am – noon until Monday 19 December. From Tuesday 20 December until Tuesday 28 February, the Rawhiti site will be open daily from 8am – 4pm. Both the Opua and Rawhiti sites are closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

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