Rakaia Dump Station open for business
You can take a dump in Rakaia again if you are passing through in a motorhome or caravan. Sort of.
The town’s new waste dump station is operating after the former dump station closed when the Rakaia Salmon was upgraded in 2020.
Ashburton mayor Neil Brown said the former site “was not very user friendly” and the council had worked with the community to select the new site with a better design.
Brown said the new site on Railway Tce is ideally located for tourists and motorhome drivers being just off State Highway 1, and is easily accessible.
Local motor home owner Murray Lister said it was an ideal situation as there is no congestion or traffic, making it an easily accessible site “with plenty of room to turn around”.
The council invested $160,000 in the project while the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association provided the pre-cast underground concrete unit and signage.
The waste station is accessible 24/7 and the dumped wastewater goes into the town’s reticulated wastewater system. The site also provides access to potable water.
Ashburton’s Lyn Peterson is the chairperson of the South Canterbury branch, which encompasses the Ashburton District, of the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association, which has about 120,000 members.
She said the new Rakaia site would be well used and would be promoted by the association as part of its waste station network around the country.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.