Kerbside recycling and food waste collection are on the way for Whanganui after a unanimous council committee vote.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Kerbside recycling and food waste collection are on the way for Whanganui after a unanimous council committee vote.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui is set to get kerbside recycling from 2023, and a year after that food waste collection will follow.
Whanganui District Council's policy and by-law committee voted in favour of adopting its Waste Minimisation and Management Plan 2021 on Wednesday.
The kerbside recycling service will cost $70 per household eachyear and the kerbside food waste collection service will add another $40 per year.
The plan does not include rubbish collection services which were estimated to cost each individual ratepayer $160 per year and were deemed to be too expensive.
Councillors considered 219 public submissions and consulted the community before the plan, which it said would divert 15,000 tonnes of waste from landfill over six years, was approved.
The plan also proposed the council work with the Whanganui Resource Recovery Trust or a similar entity to establish a service to collect, sort and divert as much construction and demolition waste as feasible.
A number of workshops with councillors and staff helped to inform the draft plan, which was approved for public consultation in August.
The council's waste adviser, Stuart Hylton, said the aim of the plan was for Whanganui to become a low waste district that sends as little as possible to landfill.
Hylton said although the public consultation was "slightly curtailed" by the Covid-19 Delta outbreak, there had been good feedback to online information sharing as well as at libraries, a River Traders Market stall, a Green Drinks forum and an unmanned stall at the Covid vaccination clinic in Victoria Ave.
The committee heard from seven speakers who wished to address their submissions in person at its meeting on Wednesday.
On rubbish collection some submitters agreed they preferred the status quo of using services provided by private contractors.
But a significant number said they were currently paying more than $160 per annum and would prefer a council service.
Councillor Rob Vinsen, who is a member of the council's Waste Minimisation Advisory Group, said he believed retaining private contractor services would allow people to continue with a "pay as you throw" option.
Hylton said the current system encouraged householders to generate smaller quantities of rubbish and control the amounts they spend.
Councillor Kate Joblin asked about the "practical terms" of collections and how many trucks would be needed for the council collections.
"They are essentially purpose-built vehicles and we are looking at EV models," said Hylton.
He said a fleet would be required to collect the different waste types and cover the district.
Councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan said she was concerned that around half the submissions to the waste plan did not support food waste collection.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan said while she supported the plan, she raised concern that around half of the submitters had objected to the rates-funded kerbside food waste service component of the plan.
She said it was important to remember some people in the community did not have a home to go to.
Councillor Hadleigh Reid said he supported Baker-Hogan's concern about submitter views but he thought the food waste collection should be trialled to see what the uptake would be.
Councillor Alan Taylor said it was imperative to give the environment a say when considering the Whanganui waste minimisation plan.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Councillor Alan Taylor said it was imperative to consider the environment.
"If we don't fix this, no one will have a home to go to," he said.
The final vote on the adoption of the Waste Minimisation and Management Plan 2021 was unanimous.
Hylton said there was a requirement under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 that the council review its waste management every six years.
