One of the big problems facing Port Stephens boaters is the legal disposal of out of date emergency flares.
Roads and Maritime Services (RMS), have a program to collect out of date flares over the next few months.
There is no other way of disposing of them as they should NEVER go into landfill.
Boats offered for scrap should have their flares removed to prevent false alarms.
“It is imperative that out of date flares are disposed of legally, the only available option in the short term is by utilising the RMS collection points, where they will be disposed of correctly,” Neil Hansford, Deputy Unit Commander, Marine Rescue, told News Of The Area.
Below are the dates to mark in your calendar and collection points are in Port Stephens and Newcastle.
Port Stephens
Soldiers Point Boat Ramp, Mitchell Street, Soldiers Point, 14 Jan 2017 between 8 and 11am.
Nelson Bay, Little Beach Boat Ramp – Lighthouse Road, Little Beach, 15 Jan 2017 between 8 and 11am.
Newcastle
Carrington Boat Ramp – Pat Jordan Oval, Tully Street, Carrington, 16 Jan 2017 between 8 and 11am.
Stockton North Boat Ramp – Booth Street, Stockton, 16 Jan 2017 between 2 and 5pm.
Please note, flare collection is no longer available at service centres, registries or maritime sites.
For other drop off points and information, please follow this link:
www.rms.nsw.gov.au/maritime/safety-rules/safety-equipment/flare-disposal.html
By Mandy ELLIS