Some tips to close by October

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 533, 26 April 1994, Page 3

Some tips to close by October

Ruapehu District Council councillors were told at their last meeting that, under the requirements of the Resource Management Act, the council must "get its house in order' regarding landfills and rubbish tips. "We have no alternative but to comply with the Resource Management Act and it will be necessary to close some of the smaller tips and landfill sites in the Ruapehu district as they are neither ecpnomical or viable to maintain and operate," said chief executive, Cliff Houston. Tips that have to close before October 1994 include Karioi, Ruatiti, Orautoha and Pipiriki.

Owhango tip has to close before July 1996 and Raetihi tip has to close by June 2000. Most Northern ward tips will also close. Taumarunui, National Park and Ohakune tips will remain open but will be modified to become "sub-district landfills", said Mr Houston. Closed landfills would be immediately replaced with transfer stations and the refuse transported to the sub-district landfills. 'The size and frequency of emptying of the transfer stations will be site specific however, it is expected that they will be emptied on a weekly basis," said Mr Houston.

RDC environmental control officer Tim Mills explained that when these smaller landfills were closed the proposed method of transporting refuse would be by some form of skip bin from a transfer station to one of the larger permanent landfill sites. Cr Bob Peck expressed doubt about how a skipbin would cope with a large amount of rubbish including tree branches, car tyres ..."and how would I get rid of a car body or dead donkey?" Consultation Mayor Garrick Workman said community consultation was needed in order to get the message through to those communities likely to be affected

by the closures. Cr Weston Kirton said Council had five months before the proposed closures are implemented and the various communities likely to be affected should be consulted with a view to obtaining their input as to various options and opportunities. Chief executive Cliff Houston said the Council had an obligation to provide local communities with various alternatives but it also had an overriding obligation to comply with the RMA. A series of meetings with the affected communities to explain the situation is proposed.