Kerbside rubbish and recycling coming to western Bay of Plenty

Glass collection. Photo / File

Kerbside recycling, glass collection, and rubbish is coming soon to the Western Bay.

The Western Bay of Plenty District Council will introduce a contracted collection service across about 80 per cent of the district in 2021.

It made the decision alongside the adoption of the 2019/20 Annual Plan today.

Recycling and glass collection will be paid through rates and the rubbish collection will be a pay-per-pick-up service.

In urban areas, the council will collect biodegradable food scraps (paid for in rates).

Staff will start procurement by working with the waste management industry.

The council has included $100,000 in this year's 2019/20 budget for the procurement process.

The proposal for a council-contracted service went out for consultation earlier this year as an amendment to the Long Term Plan 2018-2028.

The proposal adopted today was the most preferred of three options, gaining 63 per cent support of the 552 submissions.

Western Bay Mayor Garry Webber said waste management had become a growing concern for councils and their communities and it was the right time to make a change from private contracting.

Glass collection. Photo / File

"We have no choice but to address the district's dumping of waste to landfill. The new service aims to increase the amount of material diverted from landfill by about 60 percent – around 1800 tonnes a year," he said.

The indicative cost per household was modelled to be $105 through a targeted rate for urban households (recycling, glass and food scraps collections), a $53 targeted rate for rural households (recycling and glass collections, but no food scraps collection) and for all serviced households $3.50 per pick-up for general rubbish.

A pick-up cost would only be charged when people choose to put out their bin, so the actual cost to households would depend on how often the bin was put out.

Full details of the service would be confirmed after the tender process was completed in next year.

Other measures the council will progress

- Trialling a recycling drop-off site in 2019/20. While the location is yet to be finalised it will be based on providing the greatest opportunity to reduce travel times to recycling facilities.
- Exploring the establishment of community-led, self-funding re-use facilities for trade waste and other recyclables to reduce the amount of construction waste going to landfill.
- Extending opening hours of the Athenree Community Recycling Centre to provide better access during high demand peaks such as long weekends.