Whanganui councillors vote in favour of kerbside recycling and food waste collections

Kerbside recycling and food waste collections got over the line at Whanganui District Council's annual plan deliberations. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui will have a kerbside recycling service next year and a food waste collection from 2024 after Whanganui District councillors voted in favour of introducing both services at its annual plan deliberations.

While the majority supported the recycling service, councillors Philippa Baker-Hogan, Hadleigh Reid, Charlie Anderson and Brent Crossan voted against the food waste service based on the apparent lack of public appetite for the service.

More than 160 written public submissions on the food waste proposal were against while a little over 90 were in favour.

Councillors in favour of a food waste collection said it was a long-term environmental responsibility to prevent waste from going to landfills and the Government was likely to expect all councils to provide a kerbside food waste collection in future.

Kate Joblin said the decision was a "no brainer" and future generations need the right decisions to be made now.

The Whanganui kerbside recycling service is scheduled to begin in mid-2023 and will take plastics 1, 2 and 5 as well as glass bottles and jars, aluminium and steel cans, and paper and card.

The council's Waste Plan 2021 was devised by council staff and the Whanganui Waste Advisory Group with the aspirational aim of diverting an estimated 23,000 tonnes of household waste from landfills each year.

The Resource Recovery Centre would continue to operate for products that can't be collected from the kerbside and for rural households without kerbside recycling collection.