Please do not flush wet wipes!
Council staff found the wipes that were flushed down the toilet were responsible for 30%% of all wastewater system blockages. Removing wet wipe blockages cost ratepayers an estimated $168,000 last financial year.
The blockages - such as one that caused a sewerage overflow in Pilot Bay and closed the popular swimming spot for a week at the height of summer - could cause damage to both the environment and the Tauranga's reputation as a tourism destination.
The council has also started lobbying the Government to ban "misleading" words such as "flushable" and "biodegradable" from being used to market wet wipes made mostly from plastic.
Wet wipes were usually made of a fabric woven together with plastic resins such as polyester or polypropylene, which were not biodegradable.
Story and image credit: NZ Herald
Coming up: Repair Cafe Tauranga
Tinkd Makerspace is proud to host Repair Café Tauranga! Repair Cafés are free meeting places where members of the community with broken household items and volunteer repair specialists come together to repair and learn. Register with us and bring ONE item with you and our team of volunteer repairs will assess, advise, and attempt a repair on the day.
envirohub.org.nz...
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
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