AFFCO and Land Meat initially refused to pay their trade waste and wastewater fees because they mistakenly thought their previous payments covered the bill. But Wanganui industries needed to accept tougher environmental standards meant increasingly higher charges, Mayor Michael Laws said. "Their charges for 2008-09 will increase even more because of increasedenvironmental issues," he said. The Wanganui District Council brought legal action against the companies after they failed to pay their fees for the 2007-08 financial year. Affco repaid $923,945, while Land Meat repaid $101,287. Mr Laws admitted "wet" industries like abattoirs were facing significant levy increases as a result of tougher environmental standards. Those standards were partly responsible for the construction of the council's treatment plant. Trade waste fees are designed to pay for substantial volumes of commercial waste and effluent throughout the city's wastewater system. The charge is determined by the amount each company uses. Five companies in Wanganui, including Affco and Land Meat, produce the effluent equivalent of 230,000 people, or the equivalent of a city six times that of Wanganui, Mr Laws said. The charges helped pay for the treatment plant, which is responsible for most of the council's debt. Despite this, however, Mr Laws said Wanganui's fees were some of the lowest in the country, and wet industries would not save money by relocating to other centres. The impact was not limited to industry, with commercial and residential ratepayers also affected by tougher environmental standards across the board. It was this financial environment that made an optional programme, like a basic kerbside recycling service, difficult to find money for. The council has not decided whether to pursue recovery of a 10 percent late payment charge from Affco and Land Meat, although Mr Laws said he expected this would occur. "We chase every other late payer, unless there is a good, good excuse."
