Susan Payne is furious about the Western Bay of Plenty bins initiative. Photo / Supplied
Delivery of yellow and red rubbish bins across Te Puke has been met with resentment by some, and a willingness by others.
Yellow recycling bins were the last of the bins to be delivered around the township last week, ready to be used at the beginning of July as part of the Western Bay of Plenty District Council's new kerbside programme.
However, resident Susan Payne said she was furious after she realised she needed to pay for a tag to throw out her rubbish while also expecting her rent to increase due to the rates rising for the service.
Payne said she was happy to accumulate her recycling and drop it off at the refuse centres while throwing out one green bag of rubbish a fortnight.
"I don't believe there's been proper consultation. I don't know how they think this is actually helping to solve any of our environmental problems ... but [don't like] the fact that I have to pay over and above on that bin cost without any having consideration.
"[Council] think they're going to be saving money long-term, but they're joking because it's going to crucify the environment. We're going to have more rubbish-dumping in pristine areas of the countryside because people won't do it."
Meanwhile, another resident Chris Crowe believed Te Puke should have faith in the new system.
"We're not reinventing the wheel here, it's been done before and other communities have managed.
"When I walk in Te Puke I see bags full of milk bottles and things that could be recycled and hopefully this will encourage people to recycle. We just have to run with it and see how it goes."
Roxanne Paul, who lives in Maketū, believed the service would benefit the rural communities as they would no longer have to drive to transfer stations to dispose of their recycling.
Paul said she enjoyed doing it herself and believed residents should be able to opt out if the service didn't suit them, but she understood the positive environmental impact.
"It's a great initiative to encourage households to either start recycling or to make recycling easier. Having the ability to recycle really does cut down on waste.
"It should be an optional service. Is the yearly fee going to result in [some] landlords raising the rent to offset the imposed cost onto their tenants? The cost to live is already high enough."
The cost for the kerbside recycling service is included as an annual targeted rate - $149 for a full service and $98 for a partial service – and will continue each year.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council deputy chief executive and infrastructure services group manager Gary Allis said only eligible households would have this fee added to their rates invoice.
"This rate pays for the recycling component of the kerbside collection service – yellow lid recycling bin and glass crate, and food scraps for those receiving a full service.
"The bins and crates are provided at no additional charge and belong to the property."
However, there is an additional charge due to the pay-as-you-throw tags priced at $3.95 - therefore each household is only paying for the rubbish they generate – providing a financial incentive for people to reduce their waste, Allis believed.
"This is entirely dependent on individual households and how they utilise their recycling bins.
"For a family of four who use their recycling bins to maximise waste diversion, they could reasonably expect to get three to four, or more, weeks' refuse storage from their red-lid rubbish bin."
A red-lid rubbish bin can fit about three 60-litre refuse bags.
Allis said the "yearly average empty" at three weeks would cost $69 per year and four weeks would be $51.
"If that family didn't utilise their recycling bins they might need to empty their refuse bin weekly, which would cost $205 per year."
With the old system, Allis said if people used a green bag priced at $3 each while relying heavily on their recycling, it would cost $156. That's because a red-lid rubbish bin emptied on a three-week interval was roughly equivalent to using a 60-litre green bag weekly.
Households not recycling could fill a rubbish bin weekly and therefore would use three green bags weekly, equating to $468 per year, Allis said.
"If used correctly it is very likely our service will be at least as cost-effective when compared to what the private sector currently offers and is designed to maximise waste diversion through implementing a user pays system for waste disposal."
In response to comments made by Payne, Allis said the council consulted with the community on a proposed model for a council-contracted kerbside rubbish and recycling collection service in March 2019, as part of the annual plan consultation. This consultation period was announced in December 2018.
"We believe a rates-funded system makes it easier for households to participate in waste reduction, resulting in less household waste going to landfill.
"Other councils in New Zealand with similar rates-funded collections have seen a reduction in the amount of household waste sent to landfill."
It is estimated that more than 1800 tonnes of rubbish will be diverted from landfill every year thanks to the new kerbside collection service.
Multiple posts on Facebook suggested the pay-as-you-throw tags could be stolen, however, Allis said the tags were quite sturdy.
"They are designed to only break once our contractor tips the bin over. If a tag should be taken off, it will not be able to be used again. It's the same principle with a luggage tag at the airport."
And for those who were apprehensive about the ability to move the bins to the kerbside, Allis said there was an assisted service available through the council email. He said it was specifically for those who were physically incapable of handling their bins.
• The community recycling centres will continue to operate alongside the kerbside rubbish and recycling collection services. But with all eligible households receiving kerbside recycling and glass bins, it is anticipated public use of the centres will decrease.
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