AB Lime at Winton provided a comprehensive critique of the Dunedin City Council’s current landfill at Green Island and its planned landfill at Smooth Hill.
It came from AB Lime general manager Steve Smith in written submissions to the council about its 2025-34 long-term plan and adds further spice to what is already an election issue.
The council’s preferred plan is to continue at Green Island until Smooth Hill is ready about 2030.
An alternative option of exporting waste out of Dunedin, such as to the existing regional facility at Winton, has not found favour with the council.
Mr Smith was perplexed.
"I genuinely believe that committing close to $100m to the construction of Smooth Hill is a foolhardy decision and I am very concerned about the robustness of some of the key assumptions of the analysis that has been provided in support of the project," he said.
"I also believe that a number of the reasons for opposing an option to export waste from Dunedin are unfounded."
The council has said building Smooth Hill is the best financial decision in the long term.
Council staff concluded exporting waste out of Dunedin was "not economically favourable when compared with the option of building at Smooth Hill".
Exporting would also reduce the council’s level of control over its waste.
Mr Smith said it was hard to understand how the council had come up with its conclusions.
"Based on my detailed understanding of operating a Class-1 landfill, the numbers simply do not stack up," he said.
Operating Smooth Hill seemed to be close to unworkable, he suggested.
Mr Smith was "extremely surprised" the council did not appeal the conditions of the resource consents it obtained.
"Some of the conditions are almost prohibitive to successfully running the operation.
"So either the consents will require amendment, or the costs of utilising the landfill will be astronomical, placing a significant cost burden on Dunedin ratepayers."
Mr Smith described the environmental performance of the existing Green Island landfill as poor.
"From an environmental point of view, it is difficult to justify ongoing waste disposal at that site."
Mr Smith said he could understand the council wanting to continue to use Green Island, as other disposal options were more expensive at this stage.
"But that is because of the poor environmental performance of Green Island."
Proposed high gate prices at Green Island and Smooth Hill over the medium to long term meant lower-cost alternatives could enter the market, he said.
Mr Smith suggested an assumption by the council about Smooth Hill receiving similar tonnages to Green Island was optimistic.
"Given the financial analysis of the information provided in the nine-year plan, AB Lime will most certainly build a private transfer station in Dunedin and truck waste to Winton," he said.
City council waste and environmental solutions group manager Chris Henderson said the commercial landfill operator’s submission was noted and would be considered by councillors in the nine-year plan hearing process.
"We are confident the various matters raised by AB Lime have been considered and addressed, and that the Smooth Hill landfill, once built, will operate as intended."
