SCRAPPED: Recycling discount

Users of Masterton's transfer station will no longer be rewarded for sorting their recyclables from general rubbish under a new set of gate fees set to come into effect next month.
Under the new regime, a general $18 fee would apply for cars or station wagons instead of the current separate $15 or $20 respective rates for sorted and unsorted rubbish.
The different prices, which have been part of Masterton District Council's fee arrangement since the mid 1990s, had been imposed to encourage recycling and to stop recyclables going to landfill.
''The feeling of council officers and the gate fee operators is that recycling is a well-established practice for most users so the dual pricing is no longer needed to encourage recycling,'' council finance manager David Paris reported to councillors this month.
''The fact that recyclables are free to dispose of and refuse costs a significant amount should be enough of an incentive to sort the load. The 'message' should be that facility users are expected to recycle.''
The price for van, ute or trailer loads _ currently $27 for sorted rubbish and $40 for unsorted rubbish for loads of up to 200kg _ would change to a $42 overall rate for loads of up to 250kg.
Trailer loads of up to 500kg would change to one fee of $55, while large truck and trailer loads would rise from $152 to $160.
At rural transfer stations, green waste charges would rise to $58 and $44 per cubic metre for large trailers or small trucks respectively, and similarly to $70 and $55 per cubic metre for refuse.
The current $2 charge for ''small loads'' of grass clippings, which typically applies to car boot loads, would be set at $5.
''The message in this case is that users need to pay a fair contribution towards the composting costs that ratepayers would otherwise be funding,'' Mr Paris said.
Commercial prices for tyres, grease trap waste, sawdust and shavings, liquid waste and cleanfills would all also rise.
Price breaks for refuse loads, which have been based around vehicle types equated to load weight, would change as the five vehicle categories were reduced to three.
New ''charge cards'' had also been proposed by new waste contractor Green Fingers to help commercial account customers track the waste they were being charged for.
The hikes come after the council last year increased transfer station charges and rubbish bag prices to recover the increasing solid waste costs from users, and reflected the council's growing ''user pays'' stance on solid waste.
The next big change to hit the transfer station will be a range of new waste management initiatives and the building of a resource recovery centre, for which $1.1 million has been budgeted for 2010/11. The council will formally adopt the changes when it signs off on the coming year's Annual Plan on June 30.