The redevelopment, which would separate commercial and domestic traffic, ease congestion, and generally make the park safer for staff and users, was stalled after the Waitaki District Council baulked at funding the redevelopment until the trust had done work to mitigate the concerns of neighbours about the negative effect the sound of breaking glass had on their residential amenity value.
After the trust that manages the park showed, in January, 25mm-thick rubber lining installed in the glass collection bins on site had cut the noise of glass at the park by about half, and then last month the council approved an easement through a reserve to allow up to 10 commercial vehicles to access the redeveloped resource recovery park via a different route from domestic traffic - more than a year after the funding request came to the council for the redevelopment - work began on November 6.
When the council closed the Oamaru landfill in Tamar St earlier this year, the resource recovery park began to get 1000 more cars a month.
In the 2015-16 financial year, there were about 75,000 domestic vehicle movements through the park. Last year, ending June 30, there were 83,000. With its current increase in traffic, the park could have 95,000 vehicle movements this year ''which highlights the importance of getting this done'', Mr Clare said.
''This place has grown organically,'' he said.
''It wasn't designed to handle the volume of traffic. It should be able to handle the volume of traffic from now on.
''Safety is probably 75%-plus of the reason for the redevelopment - staff safety, people's safety, the whole thing.''
About 14 years ago, the resource recovery park opened with two part-time staff and was open only two days a week. Now, the park had 23 full-time staff and was open seven days a week.
In the present configuration, the kiosk where domestic vehicles are greeted by staff was too close to the entry and if three vehicles were waiting to enter the recovery park a backlog could occur and traffic could back up to the park's Chelmer St entrance.
The backlogs now occurred weekly during busy times at the weekend, but after the redevelopment the park could accommodate up to 25 cars waiting to enter without affecting traffic.
Parking at the site would also increase by 30%.
''At the moment there is a degree of organised chaos out there,'' Mr Clare said.
