Queensland Government
Ref: B N E 1873-4
BNE2004/9589
E104102296

From all of the information available to me on DisBin, the product appears to offer significant environmental benefits in the management of organic wastes, including providing a biodegradable container for these wastes for decomposition at a landfill. It is also noted that DisBin is made from 100% recycled cardboard. The Minister congratulates you and the manufacturers on DisBin and he wishes you every success with it. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Should you have any further enquiries, please contact Ms Kelly Hayden of the Environmental Protection Agency on telephone (07) 3224 7060.

Assistant Policy Advisor Level 17
160 Ann Street Brisbane
PO Box 155 Brisbane Albert Street
Queensland 4002 Australia
Telephone: +617 3225 1800
Facsimile: +617 3229 6920
Website www.epa.qld.gov.au

PO Box 107, Kaikoura,
New Zealand.
Phone:(03) 319 7148
Fax: (03) 319 7149 Email: iwk@xtra.co.nz
Innovative Waste Kaikoura Ltd

I would like to recommend Helen Mays' product DIS BIN as an environmentally compatible disposable container for bathroom and sanitary waste. As resource Recovery Operators and Landfill Managers, this method of disposal will make our job much cleaner, while not adversely impacting our land-filling systems.This product will help with some of the screening problems we are having with our pump stations, and the containers will break down in the landfill.

John Ransley
Manager
Innovative Waste Kaikoura Ltd.

17th January 2003
Hon. Marian Hobbs: MP for Wellington Central
Minister for the Environment
Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control Minister Responsible for Archives New Zealand
Minister Responsible for the National Library
Minister with Responsibility for Urban Affairs
Associate Minister for Biosecurity
Associate Minister of Education
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Congratulations on the development and launch of your new disposable sanitary bin, DisBin. I appreciate your offering to send me a sample of the bin. I understand that Ministry for the Environment officials have been in touch with you, and explained that they are better placed than I to monitor the development of new products. Neither the Ministry nor I can endorse particular brands, but it is useful for the Ministry to be aware of new categories of product, especially where those products may have an impact to the environment.

If you have not already done so, you should send detailed product information for DisBin to Dana Peterson, Sustainable Industry Group, Ministry for the Environment, P0 Box 10362, Wellington. Ms Peterson is coordinating the cleaning supplies and paper products segments of government sustainable procurement initiatives under the new Govt³ programme. Thank you again for contacting me about the DisBin. I wish you every success with the product now that it is launched.

Hon Marian L Hobbs