KEY POINTS:
The Waste Minimisation Amendment Bill is causing a rift between local councils and the companies that make money out of waste.
Councils have responded to a claim in last week's Green Pages that if if the bill goes through, it would allow councils to demand confidential information about recycling companies' operations.
Jon Roscoe, solid waste manager at Waitakere City Council, said under current legislation local authorities are obliged to provide plans and reports on their waste management.
"If councils are not given the power to require certain information [on recycling] they will fail in their obligation to forecast and provide for their community's future waste demands," he said.
And should recycling companies be concerned about providing such information they could ask that it remain confidential.
Mr Roscoe said that the comments from the Packaging Council of New Zealand concerning the cost to private recyclers were alarmist. "If some of the large recycling operations have to install a weighbridge to provide an accurate reading of the recyclable waste collected, isn't that a small price to pay for helping to accurately assess waste volumes and target waste generation at its source?"
Michael McQuillan, group manager for environmental and utility management at Auckland City Council, said the local authority did not wish to police business activity as a requirement from central government, as referred to by the Packaging Council.
But if it meant relieving the ratepayer of waste-related costs then the bill would be welcomed.
Mike Mendoca, manager of city operations at Wellington City Council, said it was normal to dispute bills early in the process but there was still time to resolve them.
The Waste Minimisation Amendment Bill is due for its next hearing on June 18.
If it goes ahead it will impose a $10 tax on every tonne of waste sent to landfill.
