Minimising waste no load of rubbish
March 9 2011
Affordable and practical services to help people reduce their waste are the key drivers behind a waste management plan for the Waipa district.
Waipa residents send at least 12,000 tonnes of waste to landfill each year. This rubbish is not reprocessed or recycled and doesn't break down over time.
Under recent changes to the Government's Waste Minimisation Act, every Council must now develop a waste management and minimisation plan. Council's strategy manager Gary Knighton said the plan will guide how Council manages the district's waste in future.
We need people to give us feedback on a range of options being put forward. After that, we can decide whether services might change or not, what additional services might start, or not, and how services would be funded, he said.
It's important everyone has a say because rubbish has a huge impact on every household and every business in our community.
Options in the plan include extending the current weekly kerbside recycling service to the business sector and investigating ways to collect large inorganic items, such as fridges and televisions. The plan also asks for comment on the level of involvement the Council should have in providing rubbish services for the district.
Comment is also sought on whether or not the Council should continue to subsidise the Cambridge refuse transfer station.
Proposed services would be funded through a mixture of rates, user charges and the Government's waste disposal levy fund. The levy is collected by the Ministry for the Environment from waste operators. Councils receive levy money to implement waste minimisation initiatives.
The amount of funding received is based on district population. In the 2010/11 year Waipa District Council received around $130,000.
The Waipa district draft waste management and minimisation plan will be available for residents to make submissions from March 23 to April 26. Council will then consider the submissions and adopt the Plan in mid-2011. Once adopted, it would be in place until 2017.
A summary of the plan will be advertised in local newspapers. Copies of the summary and draft plan will be available from Council's offices or from its website from March 23.
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Jacqui Humm
Ph: 07 872 0062
Email: jacqui.humm@waipadc.govt.nz
