Wairoa’s new waste management services will be launched next Monday.

From April 1 the landfill and recycling centre will operate over four days a week, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 8am until 2pm.

The service will be delivered by national contractor Smart Environmental with a focus on delivering a convenient and cost-effective service for local people.

Wairoa District Council’s property manager, Luke Knight said the new contract will particularly suit typical domestic or household refuse, where recycling and rubbish can be collected from your door to save a trip to the landfill.

“It is going to take a bit of time to change people’s mindset, but the reality is a trip to the landfill is only for items that are too big for the refuse collection.”

The reduced hours are in line with public feedback during the landfill consultation process held at the end of last year and early this year.

Mr Knight said the public indicated they would rather have a reduction in operating hours than face a rates increase based on increased landfill operating expenses.

Under the new contract, every household eligible for recycling collection in Wairoa and Frasertown will be provided with a 45l-recycling crate which can be filled with clean paper and cardboard, glass jars and bottles, rigid plastic containers and tin and aluminium cans.

The collection is limited to two crates per household, and an additional crate can be purchased from the Council at a cost of $14.

Crates will be delivered prior to next Wednesday, April 3.

Smart Environmental will not collect recycling that is not in an approved Council crate or in accordance with the list or recyclable items which will be included when the crate is delivered.

The Wairoa and Frasertown township recycling collection will remain on a Wednesday, and recycling crates should be put out by 7.30am.

The refuse collection will continue in Wairoa, Frasertown, Mahia, Nuhaka, Te Reinga and Ruakituri.

The recommended retail price of a refuse bag used for collection is $4.60 - this rate is the same for collection throughout the district.

Bags will be available for purchase from the landfill and Council offices, New World Supermarket, Age Concern, Mahia Avenue Dairy, McLean Street Dairy, Riverview Dairy, Mahia Beach Store, Mahia Service Station (Opoutama) and the Nuhaka Garage.

Collection days will remain the same and bags need to weigh 12kg or less.

The payment stickers which have been purchased during the transition period between previous contractor QRS and the current contractor are still valid but need to be used as they will be phased out.

Mr Knight said for domestic users it is more viable to have a refuse bag collected from their house for $4.60 rather than taking their own bag to the landfill where there is a minimum charge of $5.

“We appreciate the changes will take a bit of getting used to, and we hope people can be patient while we transition through the change.”

25 March 2019

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