Last chance to comment on the city’s Solid Waste Action Plan

23 April 2004

The Christchurch City Council’s move to reduce the number of rubbish bags to 26 per household is being reinforced by a plan to reduce waste across the City.

Each year in Christchurch people throw out about 228,000 tonnes of resources or 650kg of waste for every person in Christchurch. That is about 40 city buses full of waste being sent to landfill each day.

In an effort to reduce waste and change people’s attitude on waste and resources, the Council has introduced the Solid Waste Action Plan in its draft Community Plan.

Public feedback is being sought on this plan, which will affect all households and businesses in Christchurch. Submissions can be made until 6 May 2004.

The Solid Waste Action Plan spells out the Council’s proposed actions and programmes for working towards zero waste in the city.

Its core message is that each person and business must take responsibility for their waste.

The plan proposes among other things to:

• increase the range of materials able to be recycled at the kerbside.
• encourage home composting and composting in schools.
• establish a fund that community groups and schools can apply to for financial support to reduce waste.
• lower the fee for separated green waste at the transfer station to half of the tipping fee for rubbish.
• build an enclosed compost plant for processing organic waste from businesses such as restaurants and food manufacturers.
• introduce a bylaw that will require, through a licensing system, all waste generated in Christchurch to be sorted to locally agreed standards.
• eventually ban green waste at landfills.

Copies of the Solid Waste Action Plan can be obtained from Council service centres and Libraries.

Submissions can be made until Thursday 6 May 2004 on the Council website www.ccc.govt.nz/waste or in writing to:

Free Post 178
Our Community Plan
Christchurch City Council
Christchurch 8003

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