New proposed waste plan to save thousands of tonnes going to landfill

September 17

The Selwyn District Council has released a new waste management proposal that could save thousands of tonnes of rubbish going to landfill.

The new Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP) hopes to reduce the amount of food, garden waste and recycling currently going into the red bins.

The proposal includes options to move to fortnightly waste, with hopes to divert a larger part of the red bin content to compost or recycling.

The proposal also includes an option to stick with the current weekly cycle.

“Research shows on average 55% of the red bin content is in fact food and garden waste, or material that could be recycled, so we want to encourage our residents to separate these valuable resources,” says Tim Mason, Executive Director Infrastructure and Property at Selwyn District Council.

“One-third of red bins we pick up each week are half full or less, so taking these things together we are proposing to introduce a new medium sized red bin and consider to move to a fortnightly cycle for red bin collection, like most Canterbury councils,” says Mason, who adds that the environmental and financial impacts of these actions would be beneficial for the district and its residents.

Mason explains that the Selwyn district last year sent 13,950 tonnes of red bin rubbish to the landfill, 444 kilograms for each household, which is costing ratepayers close to $1million in landfill levies alone.

“That would fill 2,000 buses each year. If we can divert half of that to composting or recycling, our emissions reduction would be significant, about the same carbon footprint of 10,000 car trips from Rolleston to Auckland and back,” says Mason.

“And of course, hundreds of thousands of dollars saved from landfill levies would help council to keep the rates more affordable.”

The council’s consultation started on 16 September and will be open until 16 October for the public to provide their feedback on the proposed options.

The council will hear submissions on November 12 and make a decision on 16 December. If approved, any significant changes to kerbside collection would take effect from July 2029.

To learn more and provide feedback on the Draft Waste Management and Minimisation Plan please visit www.selwyn.govt.nz/wmmp