Anger at bin replacement cost

A Christchurch healthcare worker was stung with a $120 bill after finding his wheelie bin had been stolen while he was away on a short work trip.

The man called the council but was astonished to learn he would have to pay for a new one himself – because he did not notify them within 24 hours.

He is among hundreds of people who have fallen foul of a littleknown council policy that has cost them tens of thousands of dollars this year alone.

The council provides free replacement wheelie bins if they are reported missing within 24 hours of 11pm on collection day.

But miss the deadline and you have to pay for your own – costing

$109 for an 80 litre bin, $120 for a

140 litre bin and $132 for the largest

240 litre bin.

Wheelie bins are hot property in Christchurch, with 3660 requests – over 300 a month – for new ones so far in 2017.

Some 1160 unfortunate people were caught out by the 24-hour deadline and of those, 410 households forked out for a new bin, costing them almost $50,000.

The policy has prompted fury but the council says without it, replacing missing bins would cost taxpayers $500,000 a year.

More than $325,000 has been spent on replacing lost bins so far in 2017 – a $277,000 loss borne by the contractor and $49,000 coming from the 410 people who stumped up the cash after failing to notify

''... to be told that you are going to be charged without investigating is not on."

the council within 24 hours.

Wheelie bins are owned and supplied by the council’s contractor, Waste Management, and the payment covers the price of a new bin, delivery and labelling, as well as administration costs.

But the 24-hour policy has left some disgruntled at what they see is an unfair charge levied on a situation beyond their control.

The healthcare worker, a 52-year-old from Shirley who asked not to be named, branded it ‘‘ridiculous’’ and called for regulations to be fairer.

He told The Press he put his bins out on a Wednesday lunchtime earlier this month and returned two days later to find his yellow recycling bin missing.

After informing the council he was told he would be charged $120 – and that there was little chance of the council changing its mind and making an exception.

He said: ‘‘I think it is kind of ridiculous. I can understand them needing to do it for people who take advantage of the system, but I pay my rates on time, I am a pretty honest person and it has never happened before.

‘‘I am sure other people have been in situations where they have to go away – to be told that you are going to be charged without investigating is not on.’’

The man said it was unfair to have no leeway, saying it was ‘‘realistically not enough time’’ and that residents may not notice a missing bin for 48 hours or more.

He said: ‘‘We pay these people a lot of money and one of the services is rubbish collection.

‘‘(My complaint) feels a little insignificant and petty but it is more about the perception of what they do.

‘‘We are supposed to be promoting things like recycling and keeping the city beautiful and taking care of our waste, and this doesn’t seem like it matches that mission.

‘‘They need to change the rules. For every call there needs to be an investigation about what has happened, and then they can make the call (over charging).’’

Christchurch City Council says the regulation has been in place since 2009 and the public have been regularly informed about it through advertising campaigns.

Ross Trotter, the council’s solid waste manager, said: ‘‘If a missing or stolen wheelie bin is reported to council outside of the 24 hour timeframe, or the bin has been moved from private property, a replacement charge applies.

‘‘The council’s experience is that a number of people who report their bins stolen, later locate them near to their property. Without requiring notification of bins missing from kerbside within 24 hours of collection day, the cost to ratepayers would be approximately $500,000 every year.’’