E-waste contract goes to national provider

E-waste recycling will be back in Palmerston North within a few weeks.

But the city council has chosen a partnership with a national business over two local solutions that were considered.

The proposal from the RCN Group and the Community Recycling Network (CRN) was favoured over those from city-based Green Hub and Palmerston North PC Recycling.

RCN is a national organisation which has won Environment Ministry waste minimisation fund money to help keep electronic waste out of landfills.

It operates services in 21 places around New Zealand, with processing in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Council water and waste services manager Louise Jones said in a memo circulated to councillors that the RCN/CRN proposal scored top marks in an evaluation that considered criteria including costs, accreditation to international standards, and the amount and range of materials that it could recycle.

It also wanted a partner with principles of best practice and sustainability at its core.

The city’s alternative e-waste recycling project, run by the Green Hub, closed in December while the organisation looked for new premises.

Green Hub programme manager Yvonne Marsh said there was still potential for the community-based group to be involved in the e-waste partnership. ‘‘We are a CRN member, and have been invited to meet the council further down the track, and we are looking forward to that.’’

The Green Hub hoped to confirm a deal about new premises shortly, where it would house several projects, she said.

The city council-rcn partnership will be a user-pays scheme.

The existing Ferguson

St recycling depot will be the drop-off point.

The charges will vary – with no charge for a mobile phone, and a maximum of $20 for a large TV.

RCN will charge the council for each item it recycles, and freight costs will be shared.

Keeping the costs to ratepayers down was one of Ms Jones’ top priorities when the call for proposals went out. ‘‘We have to be careful that we do something that is cost-effective and sustainable.’’

Ms Jones hinted at the time that the council would look to take advantage of the growing pool of knowledge and experience that had been gained elsewhere in making e-waste recycling work.

The project fits in with the council’s goal to reduce waste going to landfills by 75 per cent by 2015.