Bins were showcased in Tauranga City Council chambers on Tuesday. This selection may not be exactly what you get with a new kerbside service. Photo / George Novak
Bins were showcased in Tauranga City Council chambers on Tuesday. This selection may not be exactly what you get with a new kerbside service. Photo / George Novak
Tauranga residents will pay between $240 and $300 a year for a new council-run kerbside rubbish and recycling service.
The exact final costs - as well as how the service will work and how residents will pay for it - have yet to be revealed but the council has decided not to do any further community consultation.
The decision has been slated by a sustainability advocate and ratepayer group representative, who said residents should have been able to see the actual costed options before the council picked one.
Tauranga's kerbside waste services have been provided by the private sector since the 1990s but the council decided in 2018 to introduce a city-wide service
Its aims included slashing the 64.9 per cent of waste chucked out in bins that could be diverted from landfill.
The waste composition of rubbish bins and bags in Tauranga in 2019/20. Source / Tauranga City Council
The process to design, cost and pick a contractor for the service was delayed by Covid-19 but on Tuesday the council made the final decisions largely behind closed doors.
Three options for a new service were on the table: All services charged through rates; Rubbish pick-ups charged separately on a "pay-as-you-throw" basis; And a third where residents would have a choice of bin sizes.
Rubbish, recycling, glass and food waste bins and collections were included in all scenarios, with an opt-in monthly garden waste pick-up.
A financial model showed the price range for the service would be $240 to $300 a year.
The option not to introduce a new service was also there but the Bay of Plenty Times understands that was not selected.
A council spokeswoman told the Bay of Plenty Times yesterdayit still could not release any details of those confidential decisions due to commercial sensitivity while any final negotiations were completed.
Councillors John Robson and Andrew Hollis voted against going into a confidential session.
In a 6-5 vote, the council also decided not to do any further consultation, in line with the staff recommendation.
Staff said that over the last four years there had been enough engagement about the service - and community support for change - for the council to make a decision.
As well, the final price would be close to the $250 the council stated in consultation documents in 2018, and less than most households were paying now.
Council-contracted market research from June found the average household paid $497 a year to dispose of waste, including kerbside collections and transfer station visits.
On average each year, those using only council rubbish bags for rubbish were paying $202. Those using a private contractor for rubbish and recycling collections were paying $551.
The figures included the $36 annual charge for a glass recycling collection.
A glass collection service was introduced in October. Photo / File
In a previous survey, the council asked people for their preferences on things like bin sizes, payment options and collection frequencies.
After the meeting, Glen Crowther of the Sustainable Business Network told the Bay of Plenty Times the community should be able to have a say on what "trade-offs" were made in choosing between the options.
Crowther backed a pay-as-you-throw option as it would reward people for chucking out less rubbish. It was the model the Western Bay of Plenty District Council had gone for, as had Auckland.
"I can't see why that can't be part of the Tauranga City solution."
It was difficult, however, to see how it measured up against other costed options without the public having a say.
Glen Crowther of the Sustainable Business Network
Philip Brown, president of the Papamoa Residents and Ratepayers group, which has campaigned against a council-run service, said the lack of information about the service showed "arrogance" from the council.
"We, the ratepayers, are going to be paying the bill so why shouldn't we know the cost and the choices so we can have a choice? It has all been pushed through without enough public information."
Brown also wanted more information about pay-as-you-throw.
Tuesday's meeting heard that technology to charge by bin weight was not yet available, but the council intended to future-proof the system for this option.
Philip Brown, president of the Papamoa Residents and Ratepayers. Photo / File
Instead, residents would purchase tags from supermarkets or dairies for each pick-up.
This is the same system for rubbish collections in the new Western Bay of Plenty District Council-led kerbside service announced last week.
The council awarded Envirowaste an eight- plus two-year contract for kerbside collections to about 80 per cent of the district.
Residents will pay $3.95 each time they put their rubbish bin out, with a weekly pick-up available. Weekly collections would add up to $205.4 a year, or $102.7 a fortnight.
On top of that, residents will pay a targeted rate for other collections.
Costs for the Western Bay of Plenty's new kerbside rubbish and recycling service. Graphic / WBOPDC
Households in rural areas where there is an existing kerbside service will pay $90-$100 a year for fortnightly recycling and glass collections.
Urban households will pay $140-$150 a year for fortnightly recycling and glass collections plus a weekly food scraps pick-up.
The council was negotiating with EnviroNZ over some contract details in order to arrive at a final cost.
The two councils collaborated on the procurement process but with different approaches.
The Western Bay sought proposals for pay-as-you-throw, the option selected by its community prior to procurement. Tauranga City Council asked the market for proposals around different options and to consider community feedback about payment methods.
Both services were expected to start next year, with dates to be confirmed.
New kerbside waste services
Western Bay of Plenty
The Western Bay of Plenty District Council has confirmed how its new service will work:
Tauranga City Council considered three options for a new service last week, but its decision - made behind closed doors - about which one will be rolled out in the city has yet to be released.
All options include a 23l food waste bin, collected weekly, and an opt-in monthly garden waste collection with a 240l bin.
Option one - Fortnightly rubbish (140l bin), recycling (240l bin), glass (45l crate). - For the food scrap bin, the first year would be rates-funded, year two onwards to be decided.
Option two - Pay-as-you-throw rubbish, 140l bin, weekly collections - Fortnightly recycling (240l bin), glass (45l crate) - All collections other than rubbish to be rates-funded
Option three - Fortnightly rubbish and recycling collections, rates-funded - Choice of bin sizes for rubbish and recycling of 80l, 140l or 240l wheelie bin.
Source: Tauranga City Council
How they voted
On a staff recommendation that the Tauranga City Council not do any further consultation on the kerbside service.
For: Mayor Tenby Powell and councillors Kelvin Clout, Heidi Hughes, Jako Abrie, Bill Grainger, Larry Baldock.
Against: Deputy mayor Tina Salisbury and councillors Andrew Hollis, Steve Morris, Dawn Kiddie and John Robson.
