Rubbish service proposal binned by Waipā District Council

A proposal to launch a kerbside rubbish collection service has been binned by Waipā District Council due to the cost.

At a series of workshops this week to discuss the financial impacts of projects on the Council's Long Term Plan, councillors agreed to shelve the idea of providing household rubbish removal for now.

Information provided by staff estimated the cost of setting up a wheelie bin rubbish collection to around 21,000 urban households in Waipā would be around $2.7 million, and would have an ongoing cost of around $3 million each year.

Transportation manager Bryan Hudson said that a ‘pay as you throw’ service, which would see residents pay for individual rubbish bags, was also explored. “This would be less costly to provide, but would not address the problems of illegal dumping and recycling contamination.

“Neither option would cater for rural households, as this would cost two to three times more,” he said.

A council-provided refuse collection for Waipā isn’t completely off the table, however. The council will relook at the proposal in the future if it is able to demonstrate it could provide a cheaper overall service for households.

Council staff were asked to explore a refuse collection service as a result of previous consultation on the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan.

Refuse collection has been a private sector service in Waipā for more than 20 years.