Low level of recycling stockpiling
Only eight per cent of Nelsonians stockpiled their recyclable material during lockdown with volumes in recycling bins increasing.
Under levels 3 and 4, Nelson’s Materials Recycling Facility (MeRF) was not able to operate, as it requires on-site staff to sort the recycling.
Despite requests from the Nelson City Council to stockpile recycling if possible, it was revealed in Thursday’s infrastructure committee meeting that the content of yellow bins increased over the lockdown period.
Committee chair councillor Brian McGurk said the volume of material collected in yellow bins had gone up by about 30 per cent over the lockdown period, and only about eight per cent of households were stockpiling.
McGurk said it was possible people were using their recycling bin as a second rubbish bin, knowing that all its contents were going to the landfill anyway, but councillor Matt Lawrey said that was ‘‘an assumption we’re making’’.
‘‘It may be the case that people have got more time at home, so they’re spending
more energy on recycling, and they don’t realise that it’s actually going to landfill,’’ Lawrey said.
Councillor Kate Fulton said it was possible people simply had more household recycling thanks to spending more time at home.
Under level 2, the MeRF is likely to reopen, so anyone who has stockpiled their recycling will be able to put their bins out again when the alert level drops.
Group leader of infrastructure Alec Louverdis said the ‘‘early advice’’ was that the MeRF would be operational from level 2.
‘‘Obviously we need to get confirmation, but that’s the current status,’’ he said.
Before the lockdown, the council had begun preparations to stop taking plastics numbered as 3, 4, 6, or 7. Louverdis said the lockdown had ‘‘thrown us a bit’’ in the preparations for the change in collection, but as soon as the MeRF was back up and running the council was prepared to make the shift on July 1 as planned.
‘‘Once we go to alert level 2 and, God willing, the MeRF is open, I think that gives us some normality and that gives us good lead in time to the first of July so people can understand.
‘‘We stay the course, we have a communications plan, but it was disrupted by Covid.’’