Whanganui letters: Kerbside recycling plans raise questions

Whanganui District Council intends to provide open crates for kerbside recycling.

Opinion

I read in the Whanganui Chronicle (February 23) that the Whanganui District Council is about to sign a contract for kerbside recycling.

I note the preferred option will be three open crates per household (for cans, paper/cardboard and glass). I also note the crates will be open to the elements (wind and rain) which means all crates will be subjected to filling with water and the paper/cardboard will inevitably become a soggy mess. Will this still be appropriate for recycling?

If winds in Whanganui can blow our wheelie bins over, what will it do to the paper and plastic trays etc in the crates?

Who will be responsible for these items blowing down the street? Apparently, there are “things” you can purchase to put over your crates at the householder’s expense. With the cost of the three crates estimated at $134.16 per household, this equates by my calculations to an approximate rates increase of 3 per cent even before the next increase is struck. Also, where are we at with the proposed food scrap bins? Will this be another additional cost when introduced?

While the council is on a roll with recycling, why not introduce a green waste bin? That will give us six bins/crates (including current wheelie bins) one each for six days of the week, then we can rest on The Sabbath!

KEVIN SMITH

Whanganui

(Editor’s note: The Whanganui District Council has a kerbside food scraps collection trial under way with 400 households, with the intention of rolling out the service to the community in 2025.)

Highway barrier funds could be better spent

The current Whanganui to Bulls road safety plan to install a median barrier on State Highway 3 is a dumb idea.

Sure, it may make the road safer but during my 46 years living at 2212 SH3 very few accidents resulted in more than a damaged vehicle and some fencing that a barrier would not have prevented.

The present plan will have barriers erected in areas already wide enough, but the intention is to fence the whole road with some breaks and turnaround areas to allow for those needing to cross the road.

All that on a perfectly functional highway in its present form.

Vehicle access to roadside property is likely to be restricted too, and moving stock is more difficult still. Surely any funds available would be better spent where the country is struggling to repair and maintain the many roads suffering from the ravages of the unseemly weather and increasing traffic.

JOHN COWPER

Whanganui

Short drought can be good for farmers

Jamie Morton’s article (February 21) has a scientist explaining weather fluctuations, with El Nino changing to Enso (El Nino-Southern Oscillation)-neutral conditions over autumn.

For a lot of grassland farmers, a short March drought is a good thing as it keeps soil temperatures high and allows the stock to clean up the roughage so that the April and May rains - not too much, you don’t want the soil to cool too quickly - land on warm, clean ground meaning a lot of fresh productive pasture. A big boost in grass growth means extra production and you go into winter in good shape.

These autumns, when you get one, are always a blessing.

GARTH SCOWN

Whanganui