Council pledges $84,000 to rural recyclers
Monday, 13 August 2018
Residents in rural communities are set to benefit from a $84,000 boost to recycling services.
His recycling bin is almost full and Kenepuru Sound resident Stefan Schulz faces another one-and-a-half hour car trip to Havelock to empty it.
The 54km journey has long been part of rural life for him.
Other country home owners faced similar treks as a result of living outside Marlborough's main recycling centre in Blenheim.
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But Marlborough District Council bosses have revealed plans to roll out new recycling initiatives to help keep rural centres' rubbish closer to home.
Plans to roll out new recycling programmes in Awatere, Seddon, Okiwi Bay, Kenepuru and Port Underwood were approved by full council late last week.
This included new recycling containers in Seddon and Port Underwood. Trial containers at Awatere Valley, Okiwi Bay and at Ohingaroa Quarry Coin Skip would become permanent fixtures.
Schulz said he took his recycling into town, in Havelock, instead of the Ohingaroa Quarry Coin Skip. He said to improve recycling in rural areas, the council should get into 'the mindset of the people'.
'We go into town once every month or so, and every third time we take a little bit of recycling rubbish.'
'It's just a nicer place for us to stop and we usually are in Havelock for a shopping day,' he said.
More recycling containers could also be set up around the region.
The move follows a report submitted to Marlborough District Council's assets and services committee last month which highlighted growing recycling expectations among residents.
Council solid waste manager Alec McNeil said the money would also help tackle recycling issues at 'tourist hot spots.'
The funds include $30,000 needed to maintain existing collections and about $55,000 needed to set up additional sites he said.
Rural residents had also requested trial recycling containers be made a permanent addition.
Port Underwood resident John Davidson drove an hour into Blenheim to drop off his recycling.
'I have a large commercial bin on my property which I store recyclables in and I load it onto my trailer.
'It's a bit of a nuisance,' he said.
Seddon resident Heather Turnbull regularly made the 24km drive to Marlborough's Resource Recovery Centre in Blenheim.
She said the restrictive opening hours at Seddon's Transfer Station, which opened three times a week, could be inconvenient.
She suggested council install recycling bins around town.
'If the facilities are there, then people will use them,' she said.
At present the rural recycling service collected recycling materials from containers at six sites, including Renwick, Waihopai, Rapaura, Grovetown, Spring Creek and Tuamarina.
Trial sites were also up at Okiwi Bay, Awatere Valley Road and Ohingaroa Quarry Coin Skip.
Awatere Valley resident Joanne Blue said the trail recycling container off Awatere Valley Rd, was 'brilliant'. Prior to its arrival she drove her recycling into Blenheim.
'Every time I went to town, I took my recycling with me,' she said.
Okiwi Bay resident Brenda McKay said the town's trial recycling container, installed on March 8, had 'gone off like a rocket'.
'Before it was brought in, we had to take our recyclables to Rai Valley Refuse Transfer Station. We still have to take our household rubbish out there but recycling has halved our rubbish,' she said.
McKay, who monitored the container on a volunteer basis, said residents were filling the Okiwi Bay recycling container about once a month.
'It just goes to show that we definitely needed it,' she said.