Rubbish services to be reduced to cut costs

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 626, 5 March 1996, Page 1

Rubbish services to be reduced to cut costs

People dumping trade refuse at Ruapehu District Council dumps will be charged the full costs incurred by the council from 1 July 1996. That recommendation from the funding review committee was accepted by the full council at their February meeting. And opening hours are to be restricted at the T aumarunui , Ohakune and Raetihi dumps. Also, commercial and industrial kerbside refuse pickup at Ohakune and Raetihi on Thursdays are to stop from 30 June 1996. The Committee considered a report at their February meeting prepared by the environmental asset manager, Suzienne Slegers regarding the introduction of charges for the disposal of refuse. Miss Slegers said the cost of landfill operations have escalated due to the introduction of the Resource Management Act. She said if operational hours were restricted from 12 noon to 5.30pm on weekdays and 9.00am to 5.30pm on weekends a considerable saving would be made in staff costs at each site per year. Councillor John Compton was concerned that Ohakune absentee property owners would not have access to landfill sites at these reduced hours, and the hours would need to be varied to accommodate this and when statutory holidays fell on a Monday. His points were accepted and the committee' s recommendation was altered to suit. Miss Slegers advised that the onus is on the contractor to control the landfill site and that the present contractor has recycling rights. However some specification will be required where scavengers are a concern. The Chief Executive advised that when the contract is renewed a condition could be made in the contract regarding "orderly recycling". Other recommendations were: • Trade refuse prohibited at Orautoha, Ruatiti, Kakahi, Matiere, Ongarue, Owhango, Pipiriki, Waimiha and National Park transfer stations and

Ohura and Ongarue dumps unless authorised by specific arrangement. • That the revenue required for the domestic component of landfill maintenance, transfer station maintenance, staffing, overheads, landfill improvement loan interest payments and sinking fund contributions cease to be funded by the General Rate and be funded by a Separate Uniform Annual Charge from 1 July 1996. • The collection of landfill charges be the responsibility of the landfill operator. __