Bags or bins to be debated in rubbish review

Some areas are already moving to join the cities in having a wheelie bin for recyclables. Photo / Dean Purcell

Aucklanders' views on changing the Super City's six different household rubbish collection systems will be sought in the new year.

Legislation calls for the Auckland Council to review inherited waste disposal plans.

It expects to consider a draft plan for cutting waste soon and have it out for public consultation by May.

Presently, householders in the former Waitakere and North Shore City Council areas pay for rubbish bags, while residents of Auckland City have wheelie bins. Residents of Manukau have wheelie recycling bins, but their general rubbish is collected in bags.

Reforms also concern the region's refuse industry whose turnover is estimated at between $300 million and $500 million a year.

"The waste review will be a long process, with many questions to be debated," said council solid waste business unit manager John Roscoe.

Topics include whether rates-funded collections by bins are better than the user pays with bags.

A further question is beneficial use of waste: "Do you separate organic waste, and then do you compost it or put it into a digestor plant to generate electricity?"

"Compost is the single largest component of residential waste so if the council wanted to reduce waste, it's certainly one to look at."

During the transition to the new council, 142 waste contracts with councils throughout the region were extended to 2012, with provisions to go to 2015 at the council's will.

Mr Roscoe said the review meant changes for some areas if there was to be a consistent household rubbish service for the region.

Some areas were already moving to join the cities in having a wheelie bin for recyclables.

Residents of the former Franklin District started their service this month and an opinion survey at Papakura on Saturday showed 70 per cent of residents wanted it too.

For other Super City residents, the system of rubbish collections stays the same until the review.

The Auckland Council logo was already on the plastic rubbish bags which cost former Waitakere residents $2 each.

Someone moving from the former Auckland City to Waitakere could not use their Auckland wheelie bin and expect it to be collected.

Auckland Council controls collection of only 16 per cent of waste taken from the kerbside.

Mr Roscoe said Auckland Council owned one recycling and refuse station, in Waitakere. The other 13 transfer stations were owned by companies.

Waitakere City Council's "Eco City" philosophy meant residents paid for waste they produced through buying bags.

The resulting benefit for the environment was the city had the lowest waste production per head than others in the region.

All political parties' environmental policies favour the "polluter pays" principle.

"Mayor Len Brown has an eco vision and I will be championing that," said Auckland Council sustainability and environment forum chairman Wayne Walker.

"Part of that has to be reducing the level of waste and it's a winner because it saves the community money.

"I'm in favour of the carrot and stick approach.

"It's necessary to charge people for waste but also reward them for recycling and reducing waste."

The best deal for the householder was for the council to replace bags with wheelie bins for the whole region, said Transpacific Waste Management managing director Tom Nickels.

"It is clearly a trend in Australasia and is overall the best solution."

Bins were safer for collectors and allowed better recovery of recyclable material.