Extra weekly rubbish bin collection for new service

The Gore District Council has listened to residents’ concerns about its new waste collection service and will provide an extra weekly rubbish bin pick up.

The new service, which starts on Monday 29 June, will now see the red wheelie bin collected weekly, for three consecutive weeks, and the yellow wheelie bin collected every fourth week.

It had been initially proposed to have the red and yellow bins collected fortnightly.

The yellow bin will still be only for glass, while residents will be able to put household waste, plastics, paper, sanitary items, steel cans and food waste in the red bin.

There will be free green waste disposal at the Gore Transfer Station, as well as cardboard and aluminium can banks.

The Council was forced to review its waste collection service after WasteNet’s decision to award the recycling contract to Smart Environmental was challenged by the current provider, Southland disAbility Enterprises (SdE).

WasteNet is a shared service representing the Gore District, Southland District and Invercargill City councils. Last year WasteNet put the recycling contract out to tender, as SdE’s contract ends on 30 June this year.

Two tenders were received and after careful analysis, Smart Environmental was chosen as the successful party. One of the main factors in this decision was that its cost per annum was about 25% lower than SdE’s tender.

Chief Executive Stephen Parry said the new waste service was the best option as there would be no cost increases to customers.

“This certainly wouldn’t be the case if we stayed with SdE.”

Mr Parry acknowledged concerns about losing the convenience of a recycling bin. However, recycling markets were in disarray with many, such as India and China, closed or diminishing.

“We appreciate it’s not perfect and in years to come, when the recycling market improves, there may be an opportunity to review it.

“The Council is only prepared to recycle products we know there’s a market for. We do not want to be deceptive and stockpile products, like some types of plastics and paper, for which we know there is either no market or a limited one.”

It was hoped people will see the changes as an opportunity to focus more on waste minimisation.

“With the impending rise in the Government’s waste minimisation levy to potentially $60 a tonne, councils and residents have a clear incentive to minimise waste or pay more to send their rubbish to landfill,” Mr Parry said.

The Council will roll out a waste minimisation campaign over the coming weeks, in tandem with the introduction of the new service.