Offsetting landfill costs and encouraging locals to recycle their waste are key components of the 2023/24 Annual Plan.

The plan was adopted by elected members on Tuesday (18.07.23), with landfill charges set to increase next Tuesday, August 1.

Over the last two years, charges have remained the same at the Wairoa landfill, resulting in the income not being high enough to cover operational costs or the Emissions Trading Scheme. The increased fees will also go towards the Waste Levy imposed on Council by the Government, which is set to increase to $50 a tonne in 2023/24, a $30 increase from $20 a tonne in 2021/22.

Wairoa District Council Chief Executive Kitea Tipuna explained that the increases will still only cover a portion of the costs of running the landfill.

“We need to increase the general waste disposal fee from $220 a tonne to $370 a tonne and the green waste disposal fee from $120 a tonne to $125 a tonne. These increases will ensure the Council has enough income to cover the increase in government charges and Council’s landfill operational costs.”

“There is a lot of change around how we deal with our waste with a national focus on minimisation. Taking waste to the landfill is costly, and we need all need to be looking at how we can dispose of waste in the most efficient way.

Mr Tipuna said another way to save costs is to recycle. “Waste management is expected to cost around $3 million over the coming year. Around $1.7m of this cost is funded by rates, and just over $1m will be financed by fees. So, the more people can recycle, the less waste goes to landfill. This year we are rolling out an education programme about the benefits of increasing our recycling and the positive impacts this has, especially from an environmental perspective.

“The current working area of the landfill site is nearly full, so additional studies will be completed to look at all options for solid waste disposal in the district. Any significant changes will be considered in the 2024-34 Long-Term Plan. Council has also budgeted to spend $100,000 on an upgrade of the Wairoa recycling centre to utilise the space better and make it more user-friendly. “

Council provides waste management facilities to ensure refuse is disposed of in a controlled and compliant manner. It operates a district landfill and recycling centre in Wairoa for the public four days a week, six hours per day, to take domestic and commercial refuse, manages domestic kerbside refuse and recycling collections, litter control and monitors five closed landfills.

For updated fees, visit the Rubbish and Recycling page on Council’s website, www.wairoadc.govt.nz. For more info regarding the national Waste Disposal Levy Expansion, go to environment.govt.nz

24 July 2023

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