Waste growing issue for Ka¯ piti
Waste is becoming a major problem for Ka¯ piti.
The amount of waste going to the landfill is increasing year by year causing a problem for the environment and helping to accelerate climate change. Since 2010 recycling annual volumes of recycling have remained relatively flat at around 67kg per person. However, the kerbside waste collection annual volumes have grown from 208kg per person to 260kg. This suggests the current system is not working.
Council has three levers when it comes to waste collection. They are pricing, legal and education.
These three levers need to work together to get the best effect.
By licensing out the kerbside collection council lost control of the pricing mechanism.
Any review should cover a cost benefit analysis to ratepayers of present model versus ‘in house’ collection and what levers, if any, are available to council to minimise waste by bringing the kerbside collection ‘in house’. It may well be that, the lever driving the present waste collection is to maintain waste going to landfill at its current level, or if it reduces, to increase the cost to customers.
The last council declared a climate emergency in Ka¯ piti, waste is one part of that emergency that council need to address. A review should not be a straight licensing versus ‘in house system’. There are other models that may be more appropriate.
Any review of the system needs to involve the community by way of public submissions and consultation. By involving the community, it would help get the best possible result.
Whatever system is decided it will be important to ensure that council have some form of control over the three levers of price, legal and education in order to ensure that a fit for purpose system is implemented.
Councillors Jackie Elliot and Sophie Handford, along with Ka¯ piti Youth Council member Nathanael Rais have devised a Waste Management Survey Monkey.
The information gathered will be used by the councillors for waste management.
Please take the time to complete the survey which is at www.surveymonkey.com/ r/7XMMRKV