Auckland DIY inorganic dump may replace kerbside collection

By WAYNE THOMPSON

Auckland city is considering replacing the kerbside inorganic waste collection with a DIY dump for unwanted but useful household items.

Council works chairman Bill Christian said the dump-it-yourself idea was one way to reduce the $1 million-plus bill for the kerbside collection.

Recovery sites could be set up at Onehunga or Mt Roskill if a study by staff proved the idea was feasible.

The sites or parks could be adapted from the SuperShed scheme, started by Christchurch City Council in September 2000.

In October Waitakere City Council plans to start its own version of a reuse park in a shed at its transfer station at The Concourse, off Lincoln Rd.

Waitakere council believes the park could substantially reduce the amount of inorganic waste, although it will continue its kerbside service.

Waitakere's solid waste business manager, Jon Roscoe, said staffing the site seven days a week would be the key to its success.

A 1997 private scheme on the North Shore folded because the unmanned honesty system was abused by people who left rubbish, which someone else had to pay to get rid of.

Waitakere was seeking a charity to take over staffing the park as a fundraising scheme while the council supplied the facility and encouraged people to bring waste.

Furniture restoration and dismantling of abandoned cars for parts were already a good businesses at the transfer station, said Mr Roscoe.

"We are already sending a lot of stuff to local auctions - over $200,000 was earned from this in the past 12 months."

Mr Roscoe said the $21 tipping fee would be waived for complete loads of items that could be recycled or reused.

Waitakere has an advantage in starting a reuse park because it is the only council in the Auckland area that owns its transfer station.

Officers at other councils said they were hampered in encouraging people to bring in reusable items because the privately owned transfer stations charged for everything that came over the weighbridge.

Manukau City has no plans to copy the SuperShed idea because it believes many people have no means to carry items to a collection point.

The council's senior waste policy analyst, Patricia Facenfield, said the kerbside collection stopped illegal dumping and encouraged people to clean up their yards.

She said useful items left out were quickly taken away by scavengers. Charities also collected furniture and working appliances.