More than 30,000 tonnes of waste is expected to be removed from Hampden’s former dumping site over the next three months.

The excavation is part of Project Reclaim, which aims to relocate waste from three contaminated sites in danger of slipping into the sea.

The excavation in Hampden started last week (June 17) and is expected to last 12 weeks.

Fulton Hogan is forecasting trucks will move in and out of Stafford St, every 15 minutes from 8am to 5pm, five days a week, as they take the approximately 32,000 tonnes of old waste to the Palmerston Landfill.

Truck drivers will use a two-way radio to ensure only one truck is on the street at once, a Waitaki District Council spokesperson said.

The east end of Stafford St, after the railway track, will be closed, and Fulton Hogan are installing a temporary weighbridge.

The same level of truck movements is expected in Palmerston coming off SH1, east into Goodwood Rd then turning up Falcon St to access the landfill.

A grizzly screen will be set up to filter waste and capture larger items that may be recyclable.

Falcon St and Stafford St residents were informed of the truck movements.

The Hampden landfill was used from 1970 to 1996 and is estimated to contain 30,000 cubic metres of waste.

It has been subject to coastal erosion, with some waste washing onto the beach.

In 2009, 5,090 cubic metres of compacted waste was transferred to the Palmerston landfill and a rock riprap slope from the toe of the landfill to the beach was placed.

The other sites part of Project Reclaim are located in Beach Rd and near Awamoa Rd.