Waireka Rd comes off Papaiti Rd just before the Upokongaro Cycle Bridge. Photo / Mike Tweed
Waireka Rd comes off Papaiti Rd just before the Upokongaro Cycle Bridge. Photo / Mike Tweed
A second group of Whanganui residents want the district council’s new kerbside recycling service pulled from their area.
Sixty-three residents on Papaiti and Waireka Rds have signed a petition demanding the right to opt out “until a proper consultation process has been carried out and the risks are mitigated”.
It was presented to the council’s operations and performance committee this month.
Group spokeswoman Barbara Gray said rural areas were never intended to be included in the service and residents remained “in the dark” until the recycling crates arrived.
“Since then, we have been pleading with the council to let us out of this scheme until we’ve had the opportunity to take part in a full consultation, as is our right,” she said.
“To regain the trust and co-operation of the affected rural residents, rural inclusion in the scheme must be revoked.
“Kerbside recycling is simply one tool of many available to achieve waste minimisation.”
Waireka Rd comes off Papaiti Rd just before the Upokongaro Cycle Bridge.
It cited a lack of prior consultation, an increased risk to traffic and pedestrian safety in an area with narrow roads, no footpaths and no street lighting and the fact residents already managed their recycling via the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre.
The kerbside service remains in place in the area, which is a rural lifestyle zone.
Whanganui's kerbside service began on July 1. Photo / Mike Tweed
According to the council’s website, it provides “a kerbside recycling collection service to households in the city – as well as Fordell, Mowhanau and Marybank”.
The consultation document on the service, released in 2022, said the service would be provided to Whanganui’s urban area plus the three villages.
The council’s district plan has Papaiti and Waireka Rds in “rural production” and “general rural” zones.
Council general manager of property and open spaces Sarah O’Hagan said a response to the petition was being prepared for the next council meeting, on September 3.
She said areas were not categorised as rural or urban for kerbside recycling.
“When we worked out the collection area for kerbside recycling we looked at a whole range of factors including serviceability, housing density, road conditions, accessibility, rating qualifiers and whether households were already receiving a waste service.
“Resource Management Act zones were not a factor.”
Consultations on the introduction of a kerbside recycling service were open to everyone in the district and the council received submissions from residents in both residential and rural areas, O’Hagan said.
The kerbside service is currently funded through targeted rates.
She said research showed having a targeted rate and no opt-in service meant more households got involved and considerably more material got recycled instead of going to landfill.
“An opt-in service would also be considerably more expensive for the ratepayer, with not only administrative costs but also time costs and resourcing issues for the contractor.
“The contract is priced to cater for the defined areas within the contract, while allowing for some additional growth over the term of the contract.”
Gray said the resource recovery centre fulfilled the needs of the majority of rural users.
“I have been recycling for years through the centre and I want to carry on doing that.
“It’s better than trucks coming down our road and picking up the stuff.
“The cost of getting a truck out there is ridiculous.”
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
