Inorganic house waste headed for tip
People leaving old couches and kitchen sinks on the pavement for kerbside pickup may be a thing of the past in Waikato district.
Waikato District Council’s Infrastructure Committee agreed to consult with the community on whether to stop their annual inorganic rubbish collection.
Once a year, Waikato district residents can dump tables, washing machines, stoves, lawnmowers, bikes and carpets on the pavement for the council to pick up.
It’s the only council left in the country to offer a full inorganic service across the district.
In 2020, about 1000 tonnes of this rubbish across the district was sent to landfill in 2020.
This year, the cost of diverting the waste was $90,000 alone and the total cost to ratepayers nearly $400,000.
That’s expected to rise to nearly $500,000 per year by 2024.
The service is popular among residents but comes with many issues, a council report notes.
There are reports of people travelling into North Waikato from outsidte the district to dump the waste and people dumping waste they shouldn’t be – like fridges and freezers.
And the service goes against the council’s own Waste Minimisation Plan – which aims to reduce waste to landfill by 10 per cent in the next three years, the report notes.
Onewhero-Te Akau ward councillor Carolyn Eyre said she wasn’t a fan of the service.
‘‘I actually believe it endorses the psyche of being a disposal nation, all we are saying is replace what you have, and we’ll get rid of it for you.
‘‘Just because it’s out of sight doesn’t mean it’s necessarily out of mind.’’
Tamahere ward councillor Aksel Bech agreed.
‘‘We need a cultural and attitudinal shift around waste...to be frank I think the communities will be aghast about what the service costs to run.’’
Huntly Community Board chair David Whyte noted those really affected by rising waste costs would be the most difficult to reach through consultation.
The Infrastructure Committee unanimously agreed to consult with the community on whether to discontinue the inorganic service.