Dirty demolition contractors face callbacks

STACY SQUIRES/Fairfax NZ

OUT OF SIGHT: John Kennedy surveys the section of his land where a contractor buried part of the demolished house that stood there before he bought it. The contractor was ordered by Environment Canterbury to remove the waste.

Demolition contractors tearing down condemned Christchurch houses are being investigated for burying debris onsite instead of dumping the material.

Environment Canterbury (ECan) is investigating at least four cases where demolition waste was buried on residential green-zone sites. It is making offenders go back to clean up their mess.

John Kennedy was surprised to hear from ECan last week and be told they had to go on to his vacant section in New Brighton to oversee the removal of buried demolition waste.

The material was from the house of the previous owner of the plot. The house had been demolished because of earthquake damage.

Kennedy was unimpressed by the demolition contractor's behaviour.

"What gets me is the amount of money these guys are getting paid and then they go and do this."

The amount of waste was not large, he said, buried across an area of about three square metres in a hole up to 1.5 metres deep, and would have fitted in one truck or trailer load.

"This is just lazy. They just didn't want to get the truck back [one last time]."

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Dirty demolition contractors face callbacks