Petition to keep Parua Bay Transfer Station open presented to council

The Parua Bay Transfer Station will be closed by the Whangārei District Council after it withdrew its resource consent application. Photo/Michael Cunningham

A petition signed by nearly 450 people seeking to keep the Parua Bay Transfer Station open until there is an operating alternative has been presented to the Whangārei District Council.

Resident John Nicole, speaking on behalf of "a group of aggrieved transfer station users", presented it during his submission to the Annual Plan in council chambers yesterday.

The Parua Transfer Station - which has been operating on a temporary basis for 15 years - will close on April 23 after the council withdrew its application for a resource consent application when it became obvious it would not be granted.

The rubbish compactor at the site will also be relocated.

Nicole said they were aware of a proposal for an alternative site and indicated his group were prepared to work with the "other group" to "try to come to an acceptable arrangement for the entire area".

It came after 70 people gathered at the transfer station on Saturday in protest the closure.

The group unanimously agreed to ask the council to continue its resource consent application for the current site and in the meantime keep the station open until it obtains consent or the alternative site is operational.

Another group of residents had earlier expressed their concerns over the location of the transfer station - they didn't want it closed down, but moved to a more suitable location.

Waste manager Andrew Carvell said with the closure, ordinary household rubbish and recycling collections will continue.

In the meantime, Parua Bay residents needing to dispose of rubbish that would have been taken by the transfer station in the past would need to take it to the district's main transfer station at Kioreroa Rd.

"Whangārei Heads Enterprises can take deliveries of some green waste, but will need a resource consent before it can become a resource recovery (recycling) centre. We plan to work with the community and the operators to get this up and running," Carvell said.

Melissa Arseneault, who is a committee member on the Whangārei Heads Citizens Association and also prepared a scoping report on the alternative site, will present a proposal on the alternative site to the council's infrastructure committee on May 7.

She has letters of support for the proposal from local resident and ratepayer associations, Discover Whangārei Heads and Weed Action Whangārei Heads.

She said the focus of this new facility would be on reuse, repurposing, recycling (as is currently provided) and diverting previously land filled waste, green waste and food waste.

A coin-operated compactor bin would enable the depositing of waste.

Arseneault said the project would need council support and funding. She said she shared the concerns about there not being an alternative site up and running.