The Waitaki District Council has apologised "for any upset the closure" of three recycling transfer station shops caused and announced all three transfer station exchange sheds in the Waitaki Valley would be reinstated.
A council spokeswoman said the sheds were closed in March following concerns about the quantity of items such as whiteware building up at the sites, but, following public feedback, the council’s position was reconsidered.
The council’s water services and waste manager Martin Pacey said many larger items could not be resold and had to be disposed of at a cost, but it was decided people dumping those items would now be charged to cover the cost of disposal or recovery.
"We understand people in the community are upset about the closure of the sheds in particular, and we feel it’s fair to reopen them to cater for the resale of smaller items."
Ahuriri Ward councillor Craig Dawson commended the public for being vocal about what they wanted.
"I’d like to congratulate the public for calling up the council and giving them the raspberry. It shows the power of democracy."
He said the public should get involved with the council if they wanted to have a say in how their townships and services were run.
"It makes my job easier to advocate for the transfer stations. I’m really chuffed about it."
Ahuriri Community Board chairman Graham Sullivan said a public meeting held in Otematata on Saturday about the recycling centres attracted about 30 people from as far away as Dunedin, Christchurch and Ohau.
He said the crowd reacted well to the council’s decision to reopen the exchange posts.
The council was in the process of reviewing its waste management and minimisation plan.
