Letters to the editor: New rubbish service will encourage wastefulness

A reader says the council's new rubbish collection service will encourage wastefulness. Photo / File

I, too, am flabbergasted as details of the new rates-funded kerbside rubbish service emerge.

The new system penalises all small households and those who already make responsible efforts to reduce household waste. It encourages wastefulness in a "just bin it" attitude.

It has not been thought through.

I cannot see how most people will save money. We put out a single rubbish bag every three to four weeks. Our minimal food waste is recycled for compost.

Current annual rubbish disposal costs are $49.50 for rubbish bags and the $37.34 included in council rates for a glass collection service we don't use.

Add in mileage for an occasional trip to recycle cardboard, paper, glass, tins and plastic at the transfer station and our wastage costs are still about $100 a year. Council's new mandatory system will impose a 100 per cent cost increase for a service which we may not use.

Western Bay Council is to be applauded for introducing a rubbish system charged by the throw, rather than through rates.

It is the only fair system and provides an incentive to save more waste from landfill.

What is planned for Tauranga fails on fairness and practicality? It is unhygienic, untidy, even hazardous. (Abridged)

Helen O'Connor
Pyes Pa

Kerbside rubbish and recycling

Like James Newman (Letters, September 26) I am disappointed in the council's compulsory decision on kerbside rubbish and recycling.

For the past 20 years, I have had the same amount of rubbish taken away by a New Zealand company for about $100.

It is now going to cost me an extra $260 dollars a year to have the same amount taken away by a Hong Kong-based company. (Abridged)

Ida Davies
Pāpāmoa

Buying property

Recently we sold a small rental property which would have been ideal for the several professional people who were keen to purchase it.

Unfortunately, banks refused to lend despite the potential purchasers having sizable deposits.

They now must keep renting and keep saving and as a consequence have little discretionary spending power.

As we received a low return from the house sale, I will have to keep my leaky car instead of replacing it.

In addition, we have retired friends who have had to give their adult children sizeable loans for them to get on the property ladder.

As a consequence, they now have less discretionary income for their retirement.

The Federal Government of Australia announced that it is abolishing bank lending laws which will enable Australians to borrow money, for a house or car, with greater ease, thereby stimulating the economy.

It is time for New Zealand to follow suit which will in turn stimulate our economy.

Meg Butler
Welcome Bay

Covid versus road toll

It would give a clearer picture to the public if they were informed by the media in coronavirus reports how much the death numbers exceed the usual national death toll by other causes at that time of year.

New Zealand's total death toll for the whole pandemic period is equivalent to the average number of deaths on our roads in a three-week period.

Bryan Johnson
Omokoroa

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