More than 600 derelict vehicles have been collected by the Department of Waste Management and are now being recycled. Photo: GIS

The department’s Manager, Mr Greg R. Massicote, said once the vehicles are collected, they are taken to the temporary derelict site at Pockwood Pond where they are stripped of certain parts, drained of their fluids, crushed and stockpiled for export.

Mr Massicote said, “We are trying to operate as environmentally friendly as possible hence the removal of the gas or diesel from the vehicles.”

Mr Massicote stated that the site has its pros and its cons, adding, “When there is heavy rainfall, the soil condition makes it difficult for the trucks to maneuver. The site however, offers many benefits including being right next to a barge ramp and its close proximity to the Cox Heath site where the majority of the recyclables will come from.”

The public is asked to continue taking residential waste to the incinerator in Pockwood Pond and galvanize and white goods to the debris management site in Cox Heath.

The Department of Waste Management is committed to ensuring that the natural beauty of the Territory is enhanced by utilising state of the art waste management technology to ensure timely collection, disposal and where possible, the recycling of waste.