Contractor issues apology
Rubbish pickups missed as new system starts
Anew kerbside collection project in the Hauraki District has had teething problems, with some pickups missed and/or delayed, leading to a contractor taking the extraordinary step of issuing an apology to residents.
The Hauraki District Council (HDC) has recently overhauled its sanitation programme, implementing new rubbish and recycling services that include weekly food scrap collection and the issuing of general rubbish wheelie bins to replace pre-paid yellow bags.
HDC advised residents they will use four bins in total for household refuse — but not all at once.
New 140-litre wheelie bins are for landfill and general rubbish, currently-in-use recycling wheelie bins and glass recycling crates are joined by new food scraps bin, a kitchen caddy designed to house fruit and vegetable peelings, egg shells and rice, aiding in the minimisation of greenhouse gases.
Collections alternate between a Para (Rubbish) week and a Hangarua (Recycling) week. Para Kai (Food Scraps) will be collected every week.
The council’s Facebook page was littered with comments over the past week from residents concerned pickups of both food recycling bins and recycling had been missed at their addresses.
Will they be emptying the recycling bin they forgot this week?
said one poster, while another who said “Recycling not collected again yesterday!” alluded to an ongoing issue.
One commenter levelled the accusation that their food scrap bin had not been picked up “In the last 2 weeks”, adding “Is this a joke?”
One person pointed the finger directly at HDC saying, “This whole collection thing is so amusing and confusing — although I guess not for the council.”
Some in the region have also complained about bins arriving without bin clips, making them subject to wind flipping the lid off and causing a mess.
A statement released today by HDC addressed residents’ concerns:
“The start of our new kerbside collection service has not gone as smoothly as expected and our contractor Waste Management has written a letter of apology to share with you. They appreciate that after such a build-up of anticipation, it’s been a bit frustrating for all. Please have a read of their sincere apologies and explanation for what has happened.”
They then shared the apology from Waste Management:
“Thank you for your support over the past month.
“Unfortunately, the contract startup has not gone as planned. We’re very disappointed that we have not been able to deliver the expected level of service from the outset.
“We know this has caused upset in the community and for this, we offer our sincerest apologies. Our new team, bins and systems are in place, but you may have noticed some of our collections are running behind schedule.
“This is because we have designed and commissioned new trucks to pick up your food waste and glass recycling at the same time. It’s a Nzfirst innovation which means fewer trucks on the road, less carbon emissions and a healthier environment.
“Unfortunately, there has been a holdup with our truck supplier which means we don’t currently have all the collection vehicles we need. The full consignment of trucks is scheduled to be delivered over the next few weeks, meaning we’ll soon be collecting all your waste and recycling on time, every time.
“For now, if your collections are running behind schedule, please leave your bin out for collection the next day.
“The team wants to thank you for your patience, understanding and continuing support of our drivers. It means a lot to us and we look forward to providing the community a good service as we move forward.”