Tauranga rubbish services up for debate

Rubbish discussion is moving to the next stage. Photo: Supplied.

The discussion on whether Tauranga has a ratepayer funded rubbish collection and recycling system or continues with the current private model, will be a headline item in the Long Term Plan debate.

The environment committee recommends Tauranga City Council add the collection change item to the public debate.

A staff report on the change says Tauranga residents can cut rubbish costs by $80-90 a year and improve the efficiency of the collection service by about 14 per cent if a single operator multi-bin service is used.

But not all Environment Committee members are in favour. Councillors Catherine Stewart, Rick Curach, Mayor Greg Brownless and Gail McIntosh spoke against it.

Greg voted in favour of the issue going to public consultation.

Catherine presented a picture of a person struggling up a steep drive on rubbish day with four bins, and asked where people will be able to keep four bins in a compact city.

'I know Rotorua went down this path and ratepayers there pay for the rubbish collection,” says Catherine.

She says the volume of rubbish collected in Rotorua has increased because people are just putting as much rubbish in the new bins as they can.

Chairman Steve Morris says it's because Rotorua took on Edgecumbe rubbish after the floods earlier this year.

Gail McIntosh says ratepayers can achieve better by dealing with their contractors.

Rick Curach hasn't heard any complaints about the existing regime. He's been using three bins for many years, and his neighbour uses a different contractor.

Greg says recycling is important but he doesn't think the current proposal is the best way to do it.

'Recycling is what we use to make ourselves feel virtuous when we make poor decisions about what we buy in the first place,” says Greg.

'That's about personal responsibility when making a purchase. Lots of people have sections quite capable of composting, storing up bottles and about once a year drop them off at transfer station.

'I'm not against environmental practices, I don't see this as the way to solve it. Without adequate information this will just end up being another service owned by a multi-national foreign company where all the profits go overseas – like parking.”

Committee chair Steve Morris says the council absolutely has to have the conversation with the community, with the rubbish collection as a key issue in the Long Term Plan discussions.

Rubbish collection a core council service and Tauranga City is letting the country its citizens and the environment down, says Steve.

'We have this twentieth century mind-set where we adopted back ‘92 kerbside rubbish. We were a small town back then. We are not a small town any more, we are a growing city and if we are to be a clean city we need to do better.”

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9 comments

Rubbish

Posted on 25-10-2017 07:27 | By collydogz

Rubbish collection is not rate payer funded from what I can see. Anybody that has a bin pays for it. Anybody that uses a bag pays for it. However the current system seems to be working so why tamper with something that is working.


collydog

Posted on 25-10-2017 08:08 | By whatsinaname

Agree. Council good at spending money on things that don't need fixing.. Does this new system get charged to our rates. If so what about rentals Does the landlord pay for tennant rubbish to be collected.


If it ain't broke

Posted on 25-10-2017 09:18 | By backofthequeue

Agree with collydogz. Rubbish collection system seems to be one of the areas of council that is functioning quite well. Auckland has a multi-bin system and family living there say it is just a nonsense.


User pays...

Posted on 25-10-2017 09:25 | By Smilarkie

.....seems to be the fairest way to go, but there needs to be a better way of doing it. It seems mad to have so many trucks on the road on rubbish day. In a street of 9 houses we have five different companies collecting the bins. On a recycling day thats more than 10 trucks. Crazy


Rebate?

Posted on 25-10-2017 09:28 | By rogue

I imagine going to a Council Rubbish system would be cost neutral.Now that the Council no longer funds Rural Fire due to them now receiving funding from Fire and Emergency NZ through our increasing Insurance Levies, either the Council will give us all a rebate or offset the savings onto another department.


Tinkering

Posted on 25-10-2017 12:23 | By MISS ADVENTURE

Perhaps the real issue is how little collected as recycling is actually recycled? Many other cities have a far better record here.


User pays

Posted on 25-10-2017 14:16 | By Calm Gully

Imagine the landlord having to pay for a new bin every time a tenant leaves or breaks bin etc. People will put more stuff in bins (that don't belong) 'cause they think they are not paying for it. The rates will have to increase with a new system. Somebody has to pay. User should pay. Just get contractors to work out area system. So there are not so many trucks. Council doesn't need more excuses to put rates up.


Rubbish

Posted on 25-10-2017 22:05 | By roseh

To me it's ok as it is.I use bags and couldn't afford the bins as a pensioner Have looked into it,I take my recyclebles To Melame St my self.Why touch what's not broke


SORRY, what is one of the PRIME purposes of a

Posted on 25-10-2017 22:50 | By The Caveman

RUBBISH COLLECTION !! SO why is this even being discussed by the Council ? May I suggest that it seems that there is a question of "interested parties" that will pay $$$$$$$ for a little bit of free advertising.............


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