Landfill fee increases in line with new kerbside

Hand in hand with the introduction of kerbside recycling in Queenstown this month will see the projected increase in landfill fees, Queenstown Lakes District Council solid waste advisor Dr Linda Wright said.


“It has always been the council’s intention to tie together the introduction of the kerbside service together with a cost incentive to recycle,” she said.


The council projected that the diversion of recyclables from the landfill by individual households and businesses could equate to as much as 30 percent.


“It will therefore cost you an additional 30 percent to dispose of waste in the landfill. The incentive is there to either balance costs or make a saving, depending on the commitment to recycling,” she said.


The increase, flagged in the 2006 Council Community Plan and this year’s Annual Plan, needed to be introduced at the same time as the recycling service.


“This has been a tried and tested initiative utilised elsewhere in the country. Unfortunately some people need an incentive to keep recyclables out of the blue bag, wheelie bin, transfer station and ultimately the landfill,” Dr Wright said.


The incentive would be applied from October 22, the day kerbside recycling would commence.


“There will be an increase in the cost of a blue refuse bag and the cost of disposing of waste at the transfer station. Otago Southland Waste Services and Northland Southland Transport have notified its customers that it will pass on the increase directly to its customers, “she said.


Meanwhile both the roll-out of kerbside recycling and the installation of the new state-of- the-art, fully automated recycling centre at Frankton were on track for the October 22 start.


ENDS