Dump the charges

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 650, 20 August 1996, Page 9

Dump the charges

• As the manager of a ski club I find that the dump charges placed on those of us in the commercial and rural sector totally unfair, to say nothing of the extra expense incurred. If there must be a charge why is it not a charge right across the board? We all have rubbish, some more or less than others. If there is an argument that the commercial and rural sectors tend to have more rubbish, that's probably well true, but

then we pay more rates! Some people have taken to using incinerators and I think fair enough, after all the extra cost is not something they would want to pass onto their clients/customers. About the incinerators, is there a question here on pollution? When I rang the district council on the charges I also asked if there was a twice-weekly service for the commercial sector. The answer, "no, but you can put out up to fi ve bags a week." Great, I thought, during the peak of the ski season, our lodge usually has 4-6 a day, never mind a week! We just can' t afford that all the time, so, maybe we will have to join the incinerator crew! Times are tough enough at the moment and as far as our lodge is concerned we are not dumping 4-6 sacks per day every day, but when things do improve we will be. So I guess we have to put on a "sneaky residential hat" if the incinerator thing doesn't work. Just for the record and as a reminder to those who maybe interested, the charges are: a car boot $5; a station wagon or car & trailer $10; a large trailer or truck $10 per cubic metre; a trailer or truck of compacted rubbish $20.00 per cubic metre. I am not sure what the current charges are in Wanganui, but I do know they apply right across the board. If there must be a charge, why not add it onto our rates, that way everyone carries the cost....

Amiria

Teki.