Cyclone Gabrielle: Why Napier won’t resume kerbside recycling

Napier City Council is yet to resume kerbside recycling collection following the cyclone. Photo / NZME

Napier residents are being asked to store their recycling at home for a third week as the service remains suspended ‘until further notice’.

Napier City Council says kerbside recycling has not resumed after Cyclone Gabrielle to prevent large amounts of recycling ending up in a landfill.

The council also says the closure of SH5 following the devastating cyclone two weeks ago means trucks can not easily access a major recycling facility in Waikato.

It comes as other councils across Hawke’s Bay including Hastings, Wairoa and Central Hawke’s Bay have all resumed kerbside recycling services.

Hastings District Council restarted its collection on Monday and has the same contractor as Napier City Council for its recycling services, Smart Environmental.

Omaranui Landfill near Taradale is the largest landfill in Hawke's Bay. The council is concerned about recycling ending up in the landfill. Photo / Paul Taylor

Despite using the same contractor, a Napier City Council spokesperson said its kerbside recycling remained “suspended until further notice”.

“We are working with contractors to resume the service as quickly as possible, while avoiding a situation where large volumes of recyclable material ends up in landfill.

“We are asking residents to store all recycling at home in the meantime.”

The spokesperson said before the cyclone about 75 per cent of recycling from Napier was taken to a materials recovery facility (MRF) in Waikato and about 25 per cent to an MRF in Masterton.

“The closure of SH5 north generates a truck fleet capacity issue owing to the significant time and distances involved in the alternative transport route.”

A slip on State Highway 5 this week. The road between Napier and Taupo has been closed for two weeks and it is unclear when it will reopen. Photo / Supplied

Hastings District Council said in a statement that “contractors faced a number of challenges” in getting the recycling service restored to residents.

“[That included] damage to their processing site and roading issues limiting the ability to collect and transport recycling to processors both in Hastings and outside the region,” the statement read.

“Residents are asked to place their waste kerbside by 7am on their usual recycling date.”

All councils in Hawke’s Bay have resumed kerbside wheelie bin and rubbish collection. Wairoa township and Frasertown had to postpone refuse collection on Tuesday due to more heavy rainfall.

Redclyffe Transfer Station is open free of charge to Napier residents for flood-damaged household items only.