Barcodes mooted as green waste dumping fix
A councillor has suggested Gore ratepayers be given a barcode to determine who can dump green waste for free at the town landfill.
The Gore District Council allowed free dumping of green waste at its transfer stations in May 2020, but it has been grappling with the issue of identifying commercial operators using the free service and people coming from out of town using it.
A report tabled at a full council meeting yesterday said the public had seized on the availability of free disposal, but excessive loads coming from farms and out-of-district users and commercial operators had become a major concern.
It suggested introducing free green waste for loads under 100kg for all users, and the cost of disposing of green waste over the 100kg threshold would be charged on weight on the basis of $120 per tonne.
Councillors voted to adopt the new charges.
Council chief financial officer Lornae Straith said it cost the council $114,000 a year to process green waste, and to recoup those costs the council needed to charge for the service.
A 200kg load of green waste was the equivalent of 10 loads of grass clippings from an average household, she said.
Anyone who went over the 100kg weight limit would pay $120 a tonne, so if someone had 101kg they would only pay $12, she said.
‘‘I do appreciate that we are in tough times and every dollar does count, but compared to other places we know, for example a trailerload in Dunedin . . . so 100kg on a trailer is still quite a big trailer.’’
Councillor Neville Phillips was concerned people would take larger loads to Mataura, where there was still no charge. Straith said charges at Mataura would be addressed at a later date.
Phillips said people from outside the district would still be able to take advantage of the free service, which they did not contribute to through paying rates.
‘‘Every ratepayer should be issued with a barcode, just like dog registration,’’ he said.
Straith said every ratepayer had an assessment number, and the council could issue discs or stickers for car windows, but the council would have to weigh up the administration costs and the benefits of doing that.
Councillor Richard McPhail said the new charges were a ‘‘practical approach’’ to solving the problem.