Trade Waste Bylaw means a rethink of discharge practices
Trade waste is anything disposed of by businesses down the sewers. Many businesses do this and some of that discharge incurs a charge.
Fresh Vege Packers in Belfast was in just that situation. Not only was the discharge incurring a cost to the business, it was having a severe impact on the operation of the nearby Council Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The large amount of suspended solids and fine clay washed into the system meant that Fresh Vege Packers needed to take a look at the way they handled the waste water they were producing. Dave Pilkington, the manager of Fresh Vege Packers, says they were aware that something needed to be done and decided to investigate a water recycling plant and an extensive recycling pipe network. The plant has proved a huge success.
“We now discharge nothing into the sewer at all,” says Mr Pilkington. “We are saving an on-going charge to the business and taking virtually nothing from the city water supply.”
The City Council is currently reviewing it’s Trade Waste Bylaw together with related policies, rates and charges as part of a Local Government Act requirement for councils to review all their bylaws by 2008.
“We’d like people to take this opportunity to have a look at what and how they discharge into our sewers and maybe rethink what they’re doing just like Fresh Vege Packers,” says City Water and Waste Unit Manager Mark Christison.
“They may be able to save themselves money as well as help us maintain our infrastructure.”
Proposed key changes to the 2000 bylaw include:
- Applying the bylaw to all of Christchurch including Banks Peninsula
- Increases of less than 6.9% in trade waste charges
- Adopting 95 percentile metal concentrations in compliance with the Guidelines for the Safe Application of Biosolids to land in New Zealand
- A new provision requiring the registration of all permitted dischargers, and introducing a new minimum annual connection fee of $112.50 for all permitted dischargers
- Increasing application fees for discharge consents
- Requiring tankered waste to comply with an approved waste tracking system
- Changing the measurement of organic strength in discharges from biochemical to chemical oxygen demand
- Requiring all dental service facilities to provide amalgam management procedures
- A focus on grease trap restaurant waste.
- Submissions close on 21 September. For copies of the draft bylaw, statement of proposal and schedule of fees and charges go to www.ccc.govt.nz/WasteWater/TradeWaste or call 941 8999 to have the documents sent to you or pick up the documents from any service centre or library. To make a submission go to www.ccc.govt.nz/haveyoursay
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