Whangārei residents are encouraged to provide their feedback to the waste minimisation plan. Photo / John Stone
Whangārei residents are encouraged to provide their feedback to the waste minimisation plan. Photo / John Stone
Whangārei District Council is seeking public feedback on its draft Waste Minimisation Plan for 2023, and so far they have received just 16 submissions.
Solid Waste Engineer David Lindsay said the council welcomes all comments.
“It gives us a clearer picture of people’s values, frustrations and aspirations.”
“So far we have received 16 submissions, all of them thoughtful and some quite detailed, both in terms of suggestions for improvements to the systems we have already, and the need to advocate for legislation to reduce waste at source,” Lindsay said.
David Linsday, WDC solid waste engineer, at the Whangarei ReSort Centre recycling station. Photo / John Stone
The plan features a range of plans and objectives, including improving community understanding of issues associated with waste management and minimisation, reducing illegal dumping, avoiding excessive waste creation and making it easier to recycle and safely dispose of materials that can’t be recycled.
In 2022, nearly 14,000 tonnes of material was diverted from landfill in our District.
However, we sent just over 55,000 tonnes to Puwera Landfill. This equates to around 560kg of waste per resident per year.
The newest data from the Whangārei District Council shows a depressing amount of food and other organic waste, as well as an excess of timber going to waste as well.
Councillor and key organiser of ‘Love Whangarei Monthly Cleanup’ Nick Connop said public feedback is the best way to ensure the right changes can happen.
“We need evidence to be able to make changes,” he said, ”or we can’t make the changes that we really need to.”
He said people can take it into their own hands in order to avoid filling up landfill quicker, and the council is willing to put “systems in place to support people” who want to reduce their waste if there is public feedback.
“If we have overwhelming support from the public to do more we actually can (make changes),” he said.
This could include kerbside organic waste collection options.
Much of our recycling rubbish continues to go to landfill due to contamination from users, and a large majority of our waste is organic, which Connop said could be changed if people made an active effort to learn how to compost.
He also noted that taking waste minimisation can happen if we “shop wiser.”
He said part of reducing waste is educating people and helping them to understand where rubbish goes.
Councillor Nick Connop lending a helping hand at Juicy Festival. Photo / Supplied
“We each have to be responsible for this,” he said, “we also need to ensure that people can easily understand that’s a recycle bin, that’s a rubbish bin.”
“In order for us to do our jobs properly this is the best opportunity for people,” he said, “we need to hear it through these channels.”
Currently general household rubbish goes in council bags or rubbish bags with council stickers. Blue bins hold clean glass, and red bins should include clean recycling.
Re:sort Whangārei resource recovery centre. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Paper rubbish and cardboard is also collected, and garden waste can be taken to a range of spaces across Whangārei, such as Re:sort.
There is currently no council-provided option for getting rid of batteries or recycling cardboard beverage containers such as oat milk cartons, which instead end up in the landfill.
The waste minimisation plan was last reviewed in 2017 which saw 63 submissions sent in. So far the council has received 16 submissions. Submissions are open until April 26.
You can read the plan and make a submission at wdc.govt.co.nz
