Don’t buy a water storage solution from Bailey Tanks.

Bailey Tanks make their water storage tanks from plastic which comes into the business as small pellets. Since August 2017 I have seen these plastic pellets coming out of their business at 36 Ash Rd, Wiri and into the local stream where it flows into the Manuaku Harbour. I have been regularly reporting the pollution to Auckland Council who have been asking the business to clean up their act, they were fined $750 on the in May 2017 however the plastic keeps coming out.

Bailey Tanks stormwater outlet (August 2017)

You can see the small plastic pellets littering their yard from the street (9 Feb 2020 Council job number INR60232011).

Plastic pellets (nurdles) at stormwater pipe exiting the Bailey Tanks (9 May 2019 Council Job number #8260221120).

Today (22 February 2020) I thought I would go and see if the rain would increase the amount of plastic washing to the stream. Pallets were coming but I was horrified to see the surface of the water covered in a fine plastic powder which they also use to make their products. Council job number 8260232660.

I took a sample home to have a better look at these micro plastics close up.

This is the path the pollution takes from the stormwater outlet to Puhinui Creek and then the Manukau Harbour. Map constructed using data from Auckland Councils Geomaps service.

Industrial pollution is usually event based, where a business has accidentally spills something and creates a pollution incident. This kind of slow leak is much worse, I hate to think how much plastic this company has dumped into the Manukau Harbour where it poisons our wildlife.

Newsroom reporter Farah Hancock investigated the site after the February 2020 incident and reported on it.

UPDATE: 24 May 2020

A new pipe has been installed upstream and was flowing clear when I visited at 3pm today.

But the old pipe continues to leak plastic. It took 20 minutes to log the incident with Auckland Council (Job number 8100624496) during which time I counted 18 plastic pellets exiting the pipe. I said I would wait for the officer (to show them the pollution) but I got a text back saying they will not visit until tomorrow.

**UPDATE 12 JUNE 2020**
I followed up on the the job number above (*8100624496*) to find out that officers did not visit the site to investigate the incident. I requested a site visit with officers but they refused.

UPDATE 13 OCTOBER 2020

The site was the cleanest I had ever seen, the business is clearly trying to clean up their act which is great. (Just one plastic pellet sighted). It’s a shame that they just cant stop leaking plastic tho. Check out the tiny bits of plastic powder in this video. Council RM Incident 8620239074, INR60239074.

UPDATE 25 FEBRUARY 2024