Blenheim waste dumping charges to rise as new greenwaste weighbridges near

Marlborough’s waste dumping charges are set to increase, as the Government tries to encourage people to dump less.

Lawn clippings will be included in the price hike, but it won’t be as expensive as it was in 2020 when the price to dump a wool sack of lawn clippings briefly jumped from about $4 to $22.20.

The Marlborough District Council last week said the increase in dumping charges were “largely driven” by Government increases in the Waste Disposal Levy and emissions trading scheme.

The Government introduced the Waste Disposal Levy in 2008 and set this each year. Council assets and services manager Richard Coningham says the Government’s intention was to gradually increase the levy over time to encourage recycling.

The Government has confirmed the levy will increase from $23 per tonne to $34.50 per tonne. The council’s assets and services committee last week approved an “across the board” rise in all costs associated with the levy.

It means Blenheim's Bluegums landfill will increase by $27.44 per tonne, meaning the average cost for disposing of general waste at the transfer stations or waste sorting centre will increase by around $3.50 per visit.

It comes after the price to dump lawn clippings shot up to as much as $22 in 2020, after the council separated the drop-off points for rubbish and green waste, in a bid to cut weekend wait times.

The council has said for years it can not compost grass due to people spraying their lawns with herbicides, like Weed and Feed.

It means grass is sent to landfill, at a cost to the council of $231 a tonne in 2020. About 79 tonnes of grass was sent to Bluegums Landfill in 2019.

But, following public backlash, the council reconsidered its choice, voting to put in two new weighbridges at the greenwaste dump, costing $649,000.

Under this year’s hike in dumping charges, the average cost of grass disposal will increase by 28 per cent. Grass and greenwaste charging will revert to tonnage once the weighbridge upgrades are completed, which is expected to be in June.

Richard says the weighbridge will operate for a month, but they will still charge based on volume.

“That's going to give us data so that we can actually work out what the charge would be based on weight, so there's not a huge change in terms of charging for grass clippings,” he says.

“There are increases that are across the board, and that's because of Central Government levies, but charging just because it is grass clippings... there was a big increase previously, that got adjusted, we are not expecting to see any massive increases like that.”

He says the increased charges are just cost recovery because of what they have to pay to Central Government.

Asked if there had been any consideration to lower costs over summer, when people had more greenwaste, Richard said the charges are based on what is processed.

“It costs money to process the greenwaste when it comes through, there's no sort of summer or winter charging for that, otherwise you get into the argument of when does summer start,” he says.

MDC solid waste manager Alec McNeil says a new camera system will be used at the greenwaste site to record vehicle registration and note what waste people have brought to the site.

Councillor Michael Fitzpatrick says the Government continues to use price hikes to persuade people to dump less and recycle more.

“There is no alternative to these revised waste fees and charges as they are initiated by Government legislation, designed to support a policy of landfill avoidance,” Michael says.

He says any attempt to reduce the impact of the changes would undermine the policy.

Meanwhile, a new camera system would be used from April to record greenwaste at Blenheim’s Waste Sorting Centre and the public access point would change to George Conroy Dr.

Solid waste manager Alec McNeil says the system records vehicle registration, so workers can note what type of waste people bring to the site.

“The new system has been trialled and is now ready to be expanded to the greenwaste site,” he says.

The new landfill prices come into effect on July 1.

Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.