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The environmental effects of dust emissions

Why are dust emissions important?

Dust or particles released into the air from activities such as mining, quarrying, driving on unsealed roads and abrasive blasting, can cause significant adverse environmental impacts such as soiling of property or surfaces, visual impacts and personal discomfort (for example, gritty eyes). There are a number of situations in which dust can cause considerable annoyance to many people. It can be a very contentious issue, particularly within the context of resource consent applications for dusty activities such as quarries, stockpiles, land clearance for development and manufacturing processes.

The Good Practice Guide for Managing Dust Emissions

In September 2001, the Ministry published a good-practice guide to assessing and managing the environmental effects of dust emissions that provides useful information and recommendations for councils, communities and industry on how to assess and manage the environmental effects of particle or dust emissions. The guide contains information on the following:

  • assessing environmental effects of dust emissions and ways to mitigate them
  • developing regional air plans
  • considering resource consent applications to discharge contaminants to air
  • preparing district plans
  • compliance monitoring
  • state of the environment monitoring.

For further information or comment email air@mfe.govt.nz.

Last updated: 17 September 2007