Tauranga City Council's annual 'Don't Paint the Drain' campaign is giving DIY'ers and professional painters the chance to win more than $3000 in paint prizes this month.

‘Don't Paint the Drain' is run by TCC's pollution prevention team along with pollution prevention teams from the Western Bay of Plenty District and Bay of Plenty Regional councils.

'Anything that gets washed down the gutters will end up in our waterways. Any form of paint, whether enamel, water, or oil based, can cause serious harm to the environment,” a TCC spokesperson says.

Paints may contain toxic solvents, heavy metals, and suspended solids which can potentially poison animals and plants, restrict light entering waterways, smother organisms, clog the gills and eyes of fish, reduce oxygen levels in waterways, and make fish and shellfish poisonous to eat.

'So if you have painting plans this month, please be mindful of how you dispose of old paint and wash water. Enter the 'Don't Paint the Drain' competition at participating stores to win paint prizes.”

You can enter the competition by either visiting any of the participating paint stores listed below, at Tauranga City Council's customer service centre on Willow Street, or at any Western Bay of Plenty District Council's visitor centres.

The ‘Don't Paint The Drain' campaign is being sponsored by Resene and Dulux which both have paint wash containment systems for trade professionals, and paint takeback services, where unwanted paint and containers are reused or recycled to minimise the impact on the environment.

To learn how to properly dispose of your old paint and wash water download the Don't Paint the Drain brochure or for more information visit: www.tauranga.govt.nz

PARTICIPATING DON'T PAINT THE DRIAN CAMPAIGN STORES:

• Bunnings Mount Maunganui and Te Puke
• Dulux Trade Centre
• Guthrie Bowron Mount Maunganui and Tauranga
• Hammer Hardware Katikati
• Home Hardware Waihi Beach
• Mega Mitre 10 Tauranga
• Mitre 10 Papamoa and Te Puke
• Resene Mount Maunganui and Tauranga