Fines issued over odours from landfill
‘‘As far as we’re concerned it’s simply not good enough and we are doing everything we can to get to the bottom of it.’’
David Down, the city council’s waster and waste manager
Porirua City Council and EnviroWaste have been fined $1000 each by the Greater Wellington Regional Council for excessive odours from the Spicer Landfill.
A regional council spokesperson confirmed infringement notices were issued in September to the city council as the resource consent holder and EnviroWaste as the operator for discharging odours beyond the landfill’s boundaries in early July.
The landfill is controlled by the Porirua City Council and receives the city’s waste but it’s residents at nearby Tawa who bear the brunt of smells it gives out during summer.
The city council is set to renew the landfill’s resource consent next year with plans to expand as it is expected to run out of room by 2026/27, which is faster than expected.
The regional council spokesperson also said they received ‘‘numerous’’ complaints from Tawa residents about the odour issues, and they were putting a monitoring programme for the site but resolving it was up to the Porirua City Council and EnviroWaste.
David Down, the city council’s waster and waste manager, said they had been working hard all year to improve their odour management since complaints increased late last year, such as working to place a thick cover on the non-active areas of the landfill.
‘‘As far as we’re concerned it’s simply not good enough and we are doing everything we can to get to the bottom of it and make it better,’’ he said. ‘‘Odour management is a bit of an inexact science and requires a lot of trial and error.
‘‘We’ve met with the community to discuss the issue and to understand the specific nature of the smells being emitted and where they are being experienced.’’
The council is also looking into installing another meteorological station on the ridge close to Meridian Rd to get better information on wind speeds and direction that could cause odour impacts to nearby residents, he said.