Council sells rubbish on TradeMe

Waste manager John Roscoe with lawnmowers that will be reconditioned and sold. Photo / Richard Robinson

The Waitakere City Council is charging residents a fee to collect inorganic rubbish - then selling it on an auction website.

The council started its "user pays" system in February. Residents must now pay $11.25 for an inorganic pickup instead of being able to leave rubbish on the kerb for free collection.

And after a quick spruce-up, some of their junk is listed on Trade Me.

Lawnmowers, barbecues, bikes and furniture have been sold after being cleaned and, in some cases, restored.

Sales administrator Peter Bunting, who does much of the restoration work at the council's refuse station, recently built a dog kennel from scrap metal, which will soon be up for auction.

Mr Bunting said the strangest item he could remember on-selling was a 30-year-old synthesiser, bought by a Wellington woman for $1450.

The council's solid waste business unit manager, John Roscoe, said on-selling the refurbished junk was not a big money earner for the council.

"It's not really profitable, it's breaking even."

Annual turnover from sales was about $80,000, and the cash went to covering the cost of running the inorganic collections and other waste activities.

"The objective here is to reduce waste to landfill, provided it's financially sustainable," said Mr Roscoe.

The user-pays process was introduced because of health and safety issues, as well as to avoid the unsightly clutter in streets that was a side-effect of the old kerb-side collections.

Putting rubbish on the kerb in Waitakere City can now cost a $400 fine.

Mr Roscoe said he was surprised by the quality of some of the items that ended up at the refuse station.

He had seen lawnmowers that needed only a spark plug change and a tank of fuel.

Other councils in the Auckland region are not following suit.

The Auckland City Council has considered the idea but a spokeswoman said it did not proceed.

North Shore City Council said it had no plans to adopt the scheme.

And a Manakau City Council spokesman said: "There generally isn't anything of value left in the material the contractor picks up."