Polystyrene turned back at transfer station

WAIRARAPA'S new waste management system seems to have at least one serious gap ? there's nowhere to put polystyrene.
Jim Pope, owner of the Tool Shed, took a trailer-load of polystyrene rubbish to Masterton's new transfer station, and was told they were no longer accepting polystyrene waste.
Mr Pope said he was turned away at the landfill and told it cost $1000 a tonne to dispose of polystyrene, so they were no longer accepting it from businesses.
The polystyrene is still sitting on the business trailer, while Mr Pope decides what to do with it.
"Am I allowed to burn it? I don't think I can."
Mr Pope used to go to the landfill twice a week with a small trailer of waste, including cardboard and polystyrene, both of which he used to recycle.
When he phoned Masterton District Council, Mr Pope was given a Wellington phone number to phone to arrange collection of the polystyrene, but the collector wouldn't come for such a small amount as he had.
Mr Pope said with all the money Wairarapa's councils have spent on creating Masterton's new transfer station, businesses "haven't had one ounce of help".
"I don't think they've thought about us."
Mr Pope said with Christmas coming up, polystyrene waste will only increase.
"I can see it being a big issue."
Representatives of the Warehouse, Farmers and Noel Leeming said their rubbish was picked up by contractors, so the change did not affect them.
Garry Daniell, owner of Mitre 10 and Masterton District Councillor, said he was unaware of the change.
Mr Daniell said the larger pieces of polystyrene were used in a concreting process, and the company did not receive much polystyrene.
"It's unlikely to be an issue."
Mr Daniell said he understood polystyrene could be used for insulation and he would "hope some efforts have been made" to recycle it, and that he would look into the matter.
Peter Forman, recycling contractor at the Masterton Transfer Station, said the council had "a little bit of a trial" at recycling polystyrene, through a Carterton contractor, but had now stopped.
"It would have to be considered as waste, as it used to be."
Mr Forman said recycling doesn't just happen, and "needs some pretty robust infrastructure to manage and handle it".
Mr Forman said the council had focused more on the new transfer station because its resource consent had run out.
"You can't argue with that. I suppose the next stage is recycling."