'A city divided' over green waste

Gardeners hoping to dispose of their green waste in a Dunedin City Council wheelie bin are being encouraged to think again.

Cr Andrew Noone said a green waste and organic material collection had been considered as part of the council's proposed new three-bin kerbside collection service, but ruled out because of lack of demand.

Last year's rubbish survey showed "a city divided" over the need for green waste collection, he said.

The postal survey - which garnered nearly 10,000 responses - found 29% of people wanted a council wheelie bin for green waste, while a phone survey of 300 people found 56% wanted the service.

Another 26% of people surveyed by post said they had difficulty disposing of garden waste.

However, Cr Noone said a green waste collection would add "the best part of $70 or $80" to the $190 cost for each household receiving the proposed new service.

"Clearly, at the bare minimum, there will be only half the community that's willing to participate in it. The next question would be `are they willing to pay for it?'," Cr Noone said.

Instead, residents would be encouraged to compost their own green waste, take it to a landfill or hire a private green-waste wheelie bin, he said.

Under the council's three-bin proposal, households would also receive an 80-litre wheelie bin for rubbish, and green waste placed in those bins would be taken to the Green Island landfill, he said.

Once at the landfill, the green waste would eventually produce gas, which the council was investigating harnessing to help power the nearby Green Island wastewater treatment plant, he said.

However, Cr Noone said he was "yet to see a financial model that works" to justify a city-wide collection for gas purposes.

Demand for green waste mulched into compost was also "very limited", with competition from large department stores providing compost meaning it would be difficult for the council to make a return, he said.

chris.morris@odt.co.nz

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