Hearings on the submissions to the Draft Waste Management and Minimisation Plan will be held Thursday, July 28, at the Tauranga City Council Chambers on Willow Street.

Council received 323 submissions on the draft plan which sets out a way forward for managing the city's waste.

The council received 323 submissions on its rubbish plans. File Photo.

It is the largest number of formal submissions council has received to date on waste management projects and staff are now in the process of reviewing all of the submissions.

Resource and recovery manager Rebecca Maiden says council is pleased with the number of responses it received on the draft plan.

'The level of feedback shows how just much Tauranga's residents care about the way our waste is being managed, and that they want to influence what the future looks like”, says Rebecca .

In total, 42 submitters requested to be heard, so it will be a long day for everyone involved.

Members of the community are welcome to come along to chambers on Thursday to watch and listen to the submitters, says Rebecca.

'We expect there to be a wide variety of views presented, including one submission from a local primary school group.”

Following the Hearings, a deliberations report will be prepared to summarise all of the issues.

In mid-August councillors will meet to discuss the submissions and advise on whether council is to proceed with the draft plan in its current form, or if changes are needed to the approach proposed.

For more information visit the Tauranga City Council website or call 07-577-7000.