Kerbside recycling possible by January 1995

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 541, 21 June 1994, Page 8

Kerbside recycling possible by January 1995

Kerbside recycling could be in place by January 1 995 in all areas currently serviced by weekly rubbish collections, if the Ruapehu District Council's draft annual plan goes through unamended. However submissions to the plan have been recei ved by the council calling for studies into more cost-effective ways to achieve the goals that kerbside recycling aims for. The Recycling and Waste Reduction Working Party has made a submission to the plan calling for the funding for kerbside recycling to be made available but with the money targetting specific areas of the waste stream which woudl achieve the maximum cost benefit ratio. Environmental asset manager Tim Mills presented a draft solid waste management strategy before the draft annual plan was released. This strategy outlined recommendations on how a recycling regime would operate. Key points of the strategy were: user-pays systems at supervised landfills; implement a method of rewarding wards that reduce waste; collect garden waste for mulching; charge dump users less for sorting their recyclables; He said until now the district has "focused almost exclusively on the disposal of waste by landfilling or burning". "Emphasis must now be given to the total philosophy of waste minimisation and education programmes to promote the five R's of waste management," he said. The five R's are: reduce, renew, recover, recycle and treatment, residue disposal.

Mr Mills said in light of the submissions received, the council may look at starting with bulk recycling collections from commercial premises, along with encouraging people to take their recyclables to depots. He said kerbside recycling has proved expensive to set up, without guarantees that it would work. Recommendations he made to the council which have been accepted include: □ Organise an efficient education programme. □ Supervise access to landfills and introduce user pays charges. □ Establish monitoring of waste minimisation to ensure efficiency. □ Establish a cost sharing method between the council and community boards which "acknowledges those areas which reduce the District disposal costs by waste reduction measures".

□ Establish an inorganic/large organic refuse collection on a regular basis throughout the District. □ Establish areas at dumps where garden waste and other vegetation can be collected for shredding and mulchin8- □ Establish recycling depots and encourage users to separate recyclables by charging a higher fee for disposal of unsorted refuse. □ Establish areas at recycling depots for materials and items which could be reused. Such materialor items could be sold to the public at a minimum charge. □ Provide resources to the private sector to instigate waste minimisation of recycling schemes. □ Where possible, progress towards kerbside recycling in addition to regular weekly refuse collection. □ Introduce waste minimisation practices and promote the purchase of recycled products.