Road’s bin service dumped
After years of dealing with their own rubbish, residents along a stretch of State Highway 3 in New Plymouth were finally given bins – only to have them suddenly taken away after three weeks because of safety concerns.
Around 10 properties on Junction Rd, Burgess Park, have been declared too dangerous for drivers to stop and collect the 140-litre red landfill bins and 23-litre food scraps bins that were introduced to 28,500 households in the district last month.
One resident said they came home to find their bins gone and a letter in the mailbox from Mike Baker, senior engineering officer solid waste.
It said: ‘‘The council’s collection contractor EnviroWaste has advised that due to the limited space on the roadside beside your property the contractor is unable to safely service your properties with the rubbish and recycling collection service.
‘‘Please place the bins on the roadside beside your driveway and I will arrange collection.’’
Although the residents won’t be charged for rubbish and recycling, which is usually included in rates, they will be responsible for dealing with it.
NPDC recommended using the transfer station on Colson Rd.
Although recycling can be dropped off for free, there is a charge for rubbish and green waste.
The NPDC rubbish and recycling rate is $188 for the 2019/2020 year. To take a year’s worth of rubbish to the transfer station would cost $254.80, not including the cost of petrol for the roughly 16km round trip.
Before receiving their bins the resident, who did not want to be named, had paid for a waste management service but cancelled it when they found out they were being added to the new system.
‘‘I had no warning, nothing, so I couldn’t arrange alternatives. We limit our waste where possible but I still have two kids and a baby so a bin is handy. Some notification would have been nice.’’
Junction Rd resident Julie Soper and her husband have been paying for a skip for their rubbish for 15 years.
She said when the new bins were introduced she knew they wouldn’t be able to use them but didn’t get a choice.
‘‘We were told you have to use the bins and you have to pay for them. If you use them that’s up to you but you still have to pay for them.
‘‘Our driveway is really long, you can’t drag the bins to the bottom and we’re on the passing lane in a 100km zone. A truck can’t stop without causing an accident.’’
Kimberley Hope, New Plymouth District Council manager resource recovery, said safety was their number one priority.
‘‘We would like to have as many people as possible on the service as we strive for Zero Waste but unfortunately it’s just not a safe spot to empty the new bins.
‘‘Once the new kerbside collection service started our contractor identified about 10 properties on State Highway 3 where it’s not safe to stop and collect bins.
‘‘We’re sorry for the inconvenience to those affected.’’