Western Bay agrees to Council kerbside rubbish collection

Western Bay of Plenty District Council will introduce a Council-contracted kerbside recycling, glass collection and rubbish collection service across approximately 80 percent of the District, starting in 2021.

Council made the decision alongside the adoption of the 2019/20 Annual Plan today.

Recycling and glass collection will be paid through rates and the rubbish collection will be a pay-per-pick-up service.

In urban areas, Council will collect biodegradable food scraps (paid for in rates).

Staff will start procurement by working with the waste management industry to determine how the service will best serve the community. Council will make a final decision following completion of the procurement process.

Council has included $100,000 in this year’s 2019/20 budget for the procurement process with the aim of starting the service in 2021.

The proposal for a Council-contracted service went out for consultation earlier this year as an amendment to Council’s Long Term Plan 2018-2028.

The proposal adopted today was the most preferred of three options, gaining 63 percent support of the 552 submissions.

Western Bay Mayor Garry Webber says waste management has become a growing concern for councils and their communities and it is the right time to make a change from private contracting of rubbish collection to a Council-contracted service.

“We have no choice but to address the District’s dumping of waste to landfill. The new service aims to increase the amount of material diverted from landfill by about 60 percent – around 1,800 tonnes a year,” says Garry.

“Council has listened to what the community wanted. This decision has resulted from extensive investigations into various options of how to deliver the service to get the best outcomes.”

The new service includes a pay-per-pick-up scheme for rubbish and a fixed rateable charge for recycling of glass, cardboard/paper, cans and plastics (number one and two plastics) and for food scraps (in urban areas only), charged to those households that receive the service.

The indicative cost per household is modelled to be $105 through a targeted rate for urban households (recycling, glass and food scraps collections), a $53 targeted rate for rural households (recycling and glass collections, but no food scraps collection) and for all serviced households $3.50 per pick-up for general rubbish – a pick-up cost is only charged when people choose to put out their bin.

The actual cost to households depends on how often the bin is put out. With increased opportunities to divert waste from landfill for recycling or composting, households may be able to save money by reducing the number of pick-ups.

Full details of the service will be confirmed after the tender process is complete in 2020. The service will start in July 2021.

Other measures Council will progress to improve the District’s approach to rubbish and recycling include:

• Trialling a recycling drop-off site in 2019/20. While the location is yet to be finalised it will be based on providing the greatest opportunity to reduce travel times to recycling facilities
• Exploring the establishment of community-led, self-funding re-use facilities for trade waste and other recyclables to reduce the amount of construction waste going to landfill
• Extending opening hours of the Athenree Community Recycling Centre to provide better access during high demand peaks such as long weekends.