Upper Hutt: the city that doesn’t recycle
Recycling is not a big priority for Upper Hutt residents, who seem happy to use the council’s solitary waste station.
Providing kerbside recycling would increase rates by 3.6 per cent, or about $80 a year, for an average ratepayer. The council’s waste station, which sometimes overflows and is open only three days a week, is being upgraded.
Residents such as Lance Butler, however, are not complaining. His rates are high enough and he does not want to pay more to leave recyclables on the kerb.
Figures released under the Official Information Act show Upper Hutt residents dump 175kg of waste a year in the Silverstream Landfill and only 20kg per person is recycled. In contrast, Lower Hutt recycled 80kg per person.
Comparing how much residents throughout New Zealand recycle and put in landfills is almost impossible. Councils have different ways of recording statistics on rubbish and recycling, but the amount recycled in Upper Hutt appears low compared with other councils.
In Whanganui, a recent poll on kerbside recycling found 60 per cent in favour. The amount recycled by each household in Whanganui, which has a similar population to Upper Hutt, is 165kg, although the council acknowledges that figure seems high.
Upper Hutt and Ka¯ piti are the only councils in the region not providing a council-funded kerbside recycling service.
Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy said when council-funded recycling ended in 2013, there was a feeling people were being charged for a service that only 40 per cent of households were using.
A 2016 report prepared for Wellington councils found Upper Hutt was considerably behind other councils when it came to recycling. Residents were recycling 22kg per household, against a regional average of 53kg.
For Aucklanders the figure was 84kg Christchurch 109, Dunedin 77, Hamilton 86 and Palmerston North 87.
On a visit to the Upper Hutt’s waste station on a busy Tuesday, most locals said they were happy with the current system.
Director of asset management and infrastructure Geoff Swainson said the popularity of the council’s waste station showed there was a demand for recycling. If residents supported councilfunded kerbside recycling, they should voice their support during the annual plan process.