The collection areas are the Whanganui city urban area, Fordell, Marybank and Mowhanau villages.
The idea is to get more people involved with recycling and composting, so that Whanganui can divert as much from landfill as possible. Waste going to landfill – especially food waste – is a major source of greenhouse gases so this is a way for us to combat climate change.
Households with compost bins at home might find the new service useful as it would take cooked food, dairy, meat, fish and some compostable packaging as well as raw food scraps.
Are there plans to close the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre?
The centre would remain open to collect recycling from households outside the collection areas and items not collected kerbside.
Will there be a council-run green waste facility for the foreseeable future?
The council partners with the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre Trust to offer green waste drop-off. Work on investigating the council offering or facilitating an 'opt in' green waste collection is beginning.
What about oil, metal and battery disposal?
The Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre on Maria Place takes all of these products.
SARAH O'HAGAN
Whanganui District Council general manager – property and open spaces
Mandate ruling
The High Court ruled that the Government's vaccination mandate is lawful.
Justice Cooke agrees that one has the right to refuse medical treatment, but believes that right is subject to "reasonable limitations".
This should worry everyone in New Zealand, whoever you are, whether you are rejoicing that the people who rejected the vaccine have been put back in their place, or whether you are sad that the people who insist you get injected with the vaccine have, as the article claimed, been "vindicated".
Because this judgement is not going to be confined to this mandate for this vaccine this year.
This judgement, which is a matter of law (which of course is entirely separate from what is ethical and what is moral) states very clearly that the Government can mandate medical treatment if it decides that it reasonably thinks you should get it.
Is there anybody out there who thinks this is a good idea? Those of you applauding this decision may wish to think what would happen if the people you want to undergo medical treatment you think they should have get to be in a position where they can make you undergo a medical treatment that you don't want but which they think you should have.
A government big enough to do things to the people you don't like, even if they don't want to accept, is also a government big enough to force you to get medical treatment that you don't want.
This accelerating encroachment upon informed consent and medical autonomy is a slope. It is already very slippery. This judgement has just greased it further. We are not going to like what lies ahead in our descent.
But hey, it only made page 7 in the weekend paper. [Abridged]
RENE DE JONGH
Whanganui
Thank you for your help
On March 22 I was injured in an accident while on my bicycle on the Great North Road (SH3) at the corner of Montgomery Road.
I would like to sincerely thank everyone who stopped to render assistance; you were so kind and helpful, and really there are no words to express my gratitude for the help you gave so quickly.
Equally, our Whanganui ambulance and DHB personnel subsequently provided superlative care and were simply incredible. Many, many thanks to you all.
NAME WITHHELD
