Taupō district refuse charges have increased. Photo / Getty Images
Rising government charges mean Taupō District Council has had to increase its per-tonne refuse charge by $30.
The charges came into effect on Friday, July 1.
For residents, this means the charge for a small carload of rubbish (under 100kg) will rise from $14 to $17.
A small van or trailer load (under 250kg) will rise from $35 to $42, and a large van or trailer load (under 400kg) will increase from $56 to $68.
Special waste requiring immediate burial will rise from $145 a tonne to $178.
The council operates a landfill and resource recovery centre at Broadlands Rd in Taupō and five transfer stations throughout the district.
The refuse charges at these sites are directly influenced by the Government's waste disposal levy and the requirement to purchase NZ units (carbon credits) under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
The council buys carbon credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions. The unit price has risen drastically, more than doubling in the past 12 months. Payment of these is mandatory for the council, not optional.
Taupō District Council asset manager solid waste and stormwater Brent Aitken says the amount charged under both initiatives has risen sharply and will probably continue to do so for some time.
"These changes have impacted our landfill user charges, making it more expensive to dump waste at landfill and transfer stations around the district."
You can reduce the amount of waste you send to landfill through kerbside recycling and composting at home. The council also provides recycling programmes at the Broadlands Rd resource recovery centre – from computers to child car seats. To learn more go to taupo.govt.nz/rubbishandrecycling.
The Rotorua law student who authored it says the support was 'overwhelming but inspiring'.