Council targets 90% reduction in waste
26 September 2017
Waipa District Council has approved a plan that aims to reduce waste in the district by 90% by 2035.
Today Council adopted the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2017-2023 (WMMP) and Waipa Waste Strategy 2017-2035 following a month-long public consultation in July. Council received 33 submissions on the draft plan and strategy, including two verbal submissions.
Waste minimisation officer Sally Fraser said it was encouraging to see support for actions that were already included in the plan, as it meant Council and the community were well-placed to work together to achieve them.
We took on board feedback from submissions and made a small adjustment to the plan - moving from a goal of zero waste to a 90% reduction in waste which will be more achievable for our communities.
There was lots of support for a local resource recovery centre, kerbside food waste collection, public recycling bins as well as advocacy at a national level for a bottle deposit scheme and levy on single-use plastic bags. These are all options we are exploring in the next six years, she said.
"We have already delivered some of the actions in the plan. In the past month we've held two worm farming workshops so there are now 100 new worm farmers in the district. Those new worm farms could potentially save more than 5,000 kilograms of food going to landfill. That's a great result."
Council must produce a WMMP every six years. This time an 18-year Waipa Waste Strategy was also produced to help guide its next three WMMPs and create a long-term vision for waste management in the district.
Our goal for this WMMP and beyond is to look at rethinking, refusing and reducing our rubbish so that recycling and landfill becomes a last resort," Fraser said. "There are lots of different ways we can use our rubbish such as reusing jars, composting food scraps and recovering e-waste; it's just a matter of changing our mind set.
The actions in the plan are funded by the Ministry for the Environment's Waste Minimisation Fund and general rates.
Read the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan and Waipa Waste Strategy online.
For more information, contact: Simone van Asbeck, 027 564 7622