Hamilton City Council: Review will dig into rubbish and recycling plans

The waste management plan review will take a look at how Hamilton's kerbside rubbish and recycling bin system is working. Photo / Hamilton City Council

Hamilton’s rubbish will be under the microscope in the coming months as Hamilton City Council prepares to consult on its Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP).

The WMMP is reviewed every six years and sets out the goals and targets used to guide the council towards waste reduction, recovery and avoidance. It was last approved in 2018 before the rollout of kerbside rubbish and recycling bins. The WMMP takes into consideration waste from demolition and construction, recycling methods and general waste to landfill.

The council’s Infrastructure and Transport Committee last week resolved to establish a working group to help with the review of the current WMMP, with a new draft set to go out for public feedback later this year.

Once it’s reviewed and the public has had a chance to have their say, the new WMMP 2024-2030 will be approved by the council next year.

At the EnviroWaste recycling centre in Te Rapa, people can see the city's mixed recycling being sorted. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

Some achievements of the current WMMP include the introduction of the new award-winning kerbside service which has helped divert more than 11 million kilograms of food waste from landfill.

The EnviroWaste Education Room in Te Rapa was also established, where people can see the city’s recycling being sorted and learn how to recycle effectively.

Any opportunity to discuss how Hamilton can battle waste to landfill was always welcomed by Hamilton Deputy Mayor Angela O’Leary. She acknowledged “what we have achieved so far has been really good, but going forward there is still a lot of scope to deal with [regard to] New Zealand’s waste”.

“I have been passionate about our waste management for a long time. There are a few types of waste that we are yet to grapple with that we know will make a difference to the wellbeing of our community, including construction waste, and also exciting opportunities for new technology to battle the waste problem,” she said.

City councillor Sarah Thomson introduced her son Leo Stockman to the basics of recycling when the Education Room opened at the EnviroWaste centre in Te Rapa in 2021. The room has interactive learning stations, like this miniature conveyor belt. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

“Getting back to the very basics, we need to also start working at the ‘avoid and reducing’ part of the waste [management process]. We are doing dispose, recycle and reuse reasonably well, but what we haven’t been doing well is working on reducing the production of waste we then have to deal with.

“I am excited to work in this group and see how we can turn up the dial on the next type of waste we can tackle.”

Māori Ward councillor Moko Tauariki acknowledged the commitment of Hamilton City Council staff to include He Pou Manawa Ora [Pillars of Wellbeing], Te Tiriti O Waitangi [The Treaty of Waitangi] and our responsibility as kaitiaki [guardians] of the environment into the review of the current WMMP.