The three councils that make up the joint WasteNet venture are expected to declare their position on the region’s controversial recycling contract tomorrow.
Made up of Invercargill City Council (ICC) and Southland and Gore District Councils (SDC, GDC), WasteNet deals with the region’s waste; the issue is that councils seem split on what should happen when the current contract with Southland Disability Enterprises terminates at the end of June.
In total it costs WasteNet councils about $1.9million a year under the current contract, while in comparison it would cost about $1.2million a year to send recyclables to landfill.
At a committee meeting at the Invercargill council last month, councillors were told they had several options which included the possibility of continuing a service for Invercargill residents only, continuing to work as part of WasteNet, and in either case possibly diverting recyclables directly to landfill.
A decision would be made after WasteNet had consulted its partner councils.
A WasteNet Advisory Group committee meeting with the public excluded was supposed to have been held earlier this month, but did not go ahead as representatives from the Gore District Council were unable to attend.
Tomorrow’s public-excluded meeting will be held at ICC.
