Community input triggers change

A proposed new residential wheelie bin service will be re-evaluated to reflect community feedback, Queenstown Lakes District Council Mayor Clive Geddes said.

The council flagged its intention to introduce a new waste collection service in the 2008/09 draft Annual Plan and create one charge of $269 representing: the cost of waste management infrastructure ($143); the cost of kerbside recycling ($63); and the cost of a new wheelie bin service ($63).

“The council recognised from the outset that the proposal would not fit with all households, in particular we did not want to penalise those households managing to produce minimal waste,” Mr Geddes said.

The council asked the community for feedback on the new service and the corresponding charge.

“It was certainly the issue that received the most attention during the consultation and submission process,” Mr Geddes said.

The council received 243 submissions on the proposal with some very positive and constructive feedback, some mixed views, with the majority opposed to the change.

The process had also highlighted the differing needs of individual communities.

“The draft Annual Plan process is a genuine opportunity for the community to make its views known, in this case the council has decided not to introduce the new wheelie bin service and that it should re-examine the matter,” Mr Geddes said.

Options for residual (rubbish) and organic waste that meet the objective of 35% diversion from landfill will now be reviewed in the coming year.

“In the interim the Council has decided to continue with the status quo. That is, residents will have the option of paying for the existing Council bags at $2.50 each or renting a 240 litre wheelie bin privately from the contractor,” Mr Geddes said.

The decision removed the capital cost of supplying the new wheelie bins and also the cost of the new collection service.

“The result is that the Waste Management Charge will drop from $269 to $186,” Mr Geddes said. The drop in the Waste Management Charge reflects the income the Council will continue to receive from both the blue bag sales and the private wheelie bin charges (the private contractor pays $145 annually for each wheelie-bin it supplies as a contribution to the cost of operating the landfill).

The impact on the residential rates will mean the increase will now be in the order of 8.1% for Queenstown compared with 13.1% under the original proposal and 7.7% for Wanaka compared with 10.8%.

The council planned to consult further with the community in the coming months over the future direction of the residual and organic waste services.

The amended draft Annual Plan would be considered for adoption by the full council on June 10.