Whanganui District Council to hold extraordinary meeting on future of food scraps service

Whanganui’s new kerbside food scraps service could be pulled at the final hour.

It is set to begin on July 1 but an extraordinary Whanganui District Council meeting next week will decide its fate.

On December 18, the Government cancelled four of five policies introduced by the previous Government to improve household recycling, including mandatory food scraps collection for all councils.

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said that policy change was “a significant enough announcement” to revisit the scheme.

He was opposed to implementing it, particularly when only 35% of submissions about the service to the council’s 2022-23 annual plan were in support.

“It will be around 1.2% of our rates and there are other ways and means of how we manage food scraps.”

Tripe said educating people on the benefits of composting would achieve more than introducing the service.

The council’s Waste Minimisation and Management Plan, which included the food scraps service, was signed off unanimously by its policy and bylaw committee in 2021.

In 2022, councillors voted 9-4 in favour of the service.

Councillor Josh Chandulal-Mackay said the plan set a target of 15,000 tonnes of waste to be diverted from landfill by 2027.

“Food waste collection is critical in achieving this.

“I’m really disappointed that an extraordinary meeting has been called to relitigate this issue.

“There have been multiple workshops where elected members were given the opportunity to vote in favour of the service and, every time, the majority chose to do that.”

Councillor Glenda Brown said having a new conversation at the 11th hour was tricky because the service was “so far down the line” and the contract was signed.

“There would need to be some compelling evidence for me to decide it was no longer relevant.”

Councillor Ross Fallen said almost half the elected members were not in office when the previous council committed to the plan.

The new service will cost households about $69 a year in rates.

“Some councillors have been uneasy since a November meeting and we now have the opportunity to revisit this.

“Personally speaking, there are many other ways to educate folk about food recycling than another tax.”

Councillor Peter Oskam said there were already significant sunk costs and the council needed to proceed with the service.

“Our whole concept of food needs to readjust.

“I know it’s a harsh way of doing it but, if you make people pay for it, they will rethink how they buy food and what they waste.

“Eventually, that will flow into packaging and stuff like that.”

If signed off, the new service will cost households about $69 a year in rates, excluding GST.

Tripe said that, because the Government “pulled the rug from underneath us”, he had instructed council chief executive David Langford to investigate retaining an almost $500,000 grant for the service from the Ministry for the Environment.

Whanganui MP Carl Bates said he was yet to be contacted.

“If the mayor and the chief executive contact the minister [Penny Simmonds], she will respond.

“And, if I’m copied into that correspondence, I will participate as best I can in those discussions.”

A National Party value was “organisational responsibility”, he said.

“I would ask how much the last council pushed back on the last Government when they were mandated to [collect food scraps], when it was clear the community support for it was not there.”

Langford said council officers would prepare a report outlining the pros and cons of the service and the risks associated with cancelling it.

Councillors had been put in a tricky position by the Government’s policy reversal, he said.

The previous Government’s mandate in 2022 was “a significant factor in some elected members’ decision-making”.

Councillor Rob Vinsen said he was in favour of the service while it was mandated, but “I don’t support it now”.

“It comes down to whether it’s the best option for our local people and there is real pressure on rate demands.

“There is already a private service offered by Easy Earth and that’s what I’d encourage people to do.”

Councillors Kate Joblin and Helen Craig said they would wait for the officers’ report before making a final decision.

Craig said there would be cost implications for ratepayers either way and that could not be taken lightly.

Councillor Michael Law said introducing the service would have a minimal impact on carbon dioxide emissions, at a huge cost to the council.

Better results could be achieved by promoting home composting and studies from the United States, Australia, United Kingdom and Canada backed that up.

“We could be taking our composting up to four hours away by truck.

“If you care about the environment and waste disposal, then compost at home.”

Instead of the collection service, the public could receive a discounted compost bin and education on how to use it, Law said.

Councillor Rob Vinsen says Whanganui company Easy Earth already offers a kerbside food scraps service. Photo / NZME

Langford told the Chronicle last month that almost 30% of the weight in kerbside rubbish bins in Whanganui was food waste.

The food scraps service, contracted to Low Cost Bins, would send as much waste as possible to Easy Earth for compost processing, with the rest sent to the Reporoa Organics Processing Facility.

Councillor Jenny Duncan said it was “never too late to make good decisions”.

“I’d much rather see us educating, promoting and possibly even resourcing home composting.

“We might even get more folk into vege gardening, which is another win.”

Councillor Charlotte Melser said many councils had implemented the service and it was working well.

“In terms of our own trial, over 70% said it was a good or very good service.”

In 2021, the council ran a trial involving 400 households around Whanganui.

Implementing the service meant lower methane emissions, a boost to local business and creating a product (compost) that was good for the environment, Melser said.

“Looking ahead to our annual plan (2025-26), our rates increase is looking significantly lower than what was originally projected, including the costs of this service.”

Councillor Charlie Anderson said he was “dead against” the service.

“It may be acceptable if people had the choice and could opt out.

“Landlords will increase rents once again, already the highest in the country by income.”

There would be “rotting food all over the streets” on windy days.

Councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan said kerbside recycling had widespread community support but food scraps did not.

“I need to see the [officers' report] because there will be some sunk costs, but it would take a lot for me to support it.

“Council should have listened to the people in the first place.”

The extraordinary meeting, which will be livestreamed, is at 5.30pm on Monday in the council chamber.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present, his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.