Council eyeing unified rubbish removal system

The Auckland Council will look into taking control of the region's rubbish. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

The Auckland Council will look into taking control of the region's rubbish and bringing all householders under a user-pays system for a collection that may include garden and food waste.

The region has a mixture of user-pays and rates-subsidised collections, which Mayor Len Brown says will make one system for all a big challenge for the council.

"If there's going to be a challenge in bringing the city together, this will be it," he said at yesterday's regional development and operations committee meeting.

The mayor said the council did not want to "spook our community" over possible changes, but it needed to show it wanted to be a strong hand in managing all rubbish collected at the kerb.

He called for debate on the prospect of achieving 40 per cent less waste to landfill through measures such as recycling the entire waste stream, including garden and food waste in compost or energy generation.

Councillors Cameron Brewer and George Wood spoke against a recommendation from the environment and sustainability forum to take operational control of all the city's waste.

Mr Brewer said he struggled to see how the public good would be better achieved by replacing present arrangements where 15 out of the 16 transfer stations were privately run and small businesses collected garden waste.

"We have no proof that the private sector is doing a bad job yet we are jumping in ... it could have a huge cost for the ratepayer."

Mr Wood said he opposed giving staff a wide brief and immense power to come back with a strategic direction that "socked the ratepayer".

Mr Brown said he welcomed private operators' involvement in coming up with a strategy and assured Mr Wood that elected representatives would be steering the process rather than staff.

"This is not a power grab by council," said Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse. "This is an opportunity to have a policy that puts control back in the hands of households and businesses."

Mrs Hulse said user-pays was misunderstood. In the former Waitakere City, it meant people paying per bag of rubbish going to landfill.

In other council areas, the cost was hidden in the rates bill and the person who put out a small amount of rubbish for collection subsidised those who sent all their rubbish to landfills without sorting it for recycling.