The report on Waiheke waste and recycling operations in Transpacific Industries first six months operating Waiheke Waste Services has raised the spectre of the “possible introduction” of charges for commercial deliveries of greenwaste to the transfer station.
The report met with a scathing response from the island’s community board chairman Tony Sears.
The report said ‘highlights’ included residents having the opportunity to use wheelie bins, the introduction of roadside collections for some remote roads, more recyclable products being separated at the transfer station and the lodging of resource consent for the new transfer station building.

The report says that so far 1068 refuse and 1427 recyclable wheelie bins have been issued, and that a further consignment is on the way as “the ongoing demand for refuse bins was underestimated.”
In response to this claim Mr Sears said only 20 percent of properties opted to have wheelie bins for their rubbish, “Not exactly popular with the locals. One has to wonder about the bloody-mindedness that pursued this notion of wheelie bins on our island.”
The report also claimed additional materials such as polystyrene and mobile phone batteries are being separated from the waste stream at the transfer station, another claim Mr Sears cast doubt on. “This is ambiguous as it suggests that perhaps more recyclable products by volume are being processed. As can be seen later in the document, we are talking about more types rather than more recycling.”
The report says 456 tonnes of recyclables were delivered to the refuse transfer station by residents, and 299 tonnes (of kerbside recyclables) were delivered to the Visy plant. It says in 2008, 673 recyclable tonnes were collected at the transfer station.  
Problems were acknowledged with the switch to a five day per week collection service in November, especially in “remote areas” such as Rocky Bay, with the report saying “Problems were experienced with the distribution to letter boxes of information as to the new days for collection. . . The situation was remedied by Council’s communications and marketing group and the pamphlet distribution contractor.”
Mr Sears responded to that claim saying, “Rocky Bay residents would be surprised to discover that they are a remote area. As I understand, the issue of pamphlet distribution or lack of it had nothing to do with the remoteness of the area.”
One of the claims in the report that Mr Sears said caused particular concern centred on what a contractor said was a “high proportion of greenwaste being delivered to the transfer station from commercial sources. . . [the contractor] recommends that consideration be given to introducing a gate charge for this type of bulk delivery.”

The report has called for the Environmental and Utility Management group manager Michael McQuillan to “investigate and report back to the City Development committee on the possible introduction of a charge for commercial deliveries of greenwaste to the Waiheke Island transfer station.”
In response Mr Sears said, “Is this the start of the breaking of the promises to our community that charges for greenwaste would not change? Does the author of this report see another, as yet untapped, opportunity to extract money from our community?”
The report also shows a $44,315 increase in council revenue on gate takings at the transfer station, the 2009 figure of $256,245 being compared to the previous year’s $211,930. •

Benn Bathgate