The Ashburton District Council is working through Government guidelines about life in alert level 3 to see how its rubbish and recycling centre and other council services can operate safely.
Chief executive Hamish Riach said the library, museum and EA Networks Centre would still be closed at level 3 on Tuesday, but open spaces staff could mow grass and keep parks tidy provided they stuck to restrictions requiring physical distancing and hand hygiene.
Construction crews working on the CBD upgrade and the Ashburton River sewer pipeline projects will be able to get back to work, though level 3 restrictions would mean the speed of work was reduced while workers followed Covid-19 precautions.
Kerbside recycling and glass collection will return to normal on Tuesday and the Ashburton resource recovery park will also be open from Tuesday, though some waste recovery services will continue to be impacted.
Council’s offices remain closed to customers in level 3.
Building inspections can resume next week, with strict conditions.
The Civil Defence team has also moved back into the main building.
Residents are encouraged to visit ashburtondc.govt.nz/covid19 for all information about Council services during the COVID-19 response.
Kerbside collection service:
Residents will be able to resume putting their recycling in the yellow wheelie bin and their glass in the green crate from Tuesday 28 April.
The council is cautioning however, that until it is confident residents are not contaminating the recycling with rubbish, the yellow wheelie bin contents will continue to go to landfill. The Council will advise when recycling habits have improved and the items can be taken to the recycling sorting centre again.
All kerbside collections will operate on their usual schedule, ie. red rubbish bins collected weekly, yellow recycling and green crates collected fortnightly on alternate weeks.
Bins will need to be placed at the kerbside by 7.30am on their collection day, one metre apart and not behind any obstructions such as parked cars or trailers.
Ashburton Resource Recovery Park:
The Ashburton Resource Recovery Park will open 8am-5pm Monday to Friday, and 9am-5pm Saturday and Sunday. The park will be closed each day from 12.30pm-1pm for staff to manage a safe lunch break.
The park will be open to all residents, both those who receive kerbside collections and those who don’t.
Gate One will be closed.
Gate Two will open during Level Three and operate during normal opening hours.
All visitors will need to register onsite for contact tracing purposes.
Access to all areas will be controlled through the weighbridge.
Only three vehicles at a time will be allowed past the weighbridge at any one time.
A temporary drop-off zone for recyclables (glass and cardboard only) and ADC prepaid bags will be set up just past the weighbridge.
No re-usable household items such as furniture, white ware, electrical goods, batteries, electronics or other appliances can be accepted at the park during the Alert Level Three.
Hazardous waste such as household and garden chemicals will not be accepted for drop-off.
Green waste will be accepted at the park, and only one vehicle will be accepted at a time over the weighbridge into the green waste area.
No cash transactions will be accepted during the Alert Level Three. Residents will need to use their eftpos card.
The Reuse Shop will be closed.
Rakaia Resource Recovery Park:
The Rakaia Resource Recovery Park will reopen under Alert Level Three on its usual days: Monday 10am-12pm, Wednesday 3.30pm-5.30pm, Friday 2pm-4pm and Saturday 9am-3pm.
All visitors will need to register onsite for contact tracing purposes.
The recycling lane and green waste yard will operate as normal. Physical distancing will be managed at the weighbridge into the green waste yard.
Bagged rubbish can be taken across the weighbridge to be dropped off.
No re-usable household items such as furniture, white ware, electrical goods, batteries, electronics or other appliances can be accepted at the park during the Alert Level Three. Hazardous waste such as household and garden chemicals will not be accepted for drop-off.
No cash transactions will be accepted during the Alert Level Three. Residents will need to use their eftpos card.
The Reuse Shop will be closed.
Methven Green Waste Drop-off Site
Methven’s green waste yard on Vaughans Road will operate as normal.
Rural Recycling Drop-off Sites:
These sites will continue to operate as normal.
