Auckland ponders zero waste policy

By BERNARD ORSMAN

Auckland City is considering a zero waste policy after the switch to small wheelie bins failed to halve the amount of rubbish going to landfills.

A shift to zero waste has been embraced by some councillors but met caution from others who compare it to the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gases - fine in principle but difficult to implement.

The practical steps involved in implementing a zero waste policy still need to be determined. In theory it would mean the council would no longer collect rubbish and all household waste would have to be composted or recycled.

Council officers believe zero waste is a philosophy that realistically cannot be achieved. It would require more money and staff resources and Government action to reduce packaging.

However, the council's work committee has decided to adopt a zero waste philosophy even though committee chairman Bill Christian said it was a long-term and complex process requiring more money, Government action and a lot of work with residents and business.

Finance committee chairman Doug Armstrong said a more pragmatic solution was to charge ratepayers the full cost of rubbish. That would encourage people to take measures and throw out less rubbish.

Councillor Victoria Carter said Auckland City should follow Waitakere and North Shore councils, which plan kitchen-waste collections from July next year.

The Zero Waste New Zealand Trust has convinced half the councils in the country to eliminate rather than just manage waste, including Waitakere, North Shore and Rodney councils in the Auckland region.

Councillors Victoria Carter and Glenda Fryer have been pushing the council to go down the zero waste path, saying it is good for the environment and would ultimately save the council money.

Figures show the council has failed to achieve the target of halving the amount of rubbish going to landfills since half-sized wheelie bins were introduced three years ago.

After reducing the rubbish pile by a third, the volume is now increasing at a rate of about 5 per cent. Audits showed that three-quarters of what is thrown out was compostable or recyclable.