Chamber Criticises Rubbish Collection

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31906, 6 February 1969, Page 12

Chamber Criticises Rubbish Collection

Rubbish tins left out for long periods in the central area of Christchurch caused an indescribable mess which was a disgrace to the city, said Mr B. J. Drake at a meeting of the council of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce last night.

After a long debate, the council decided to write to the City Council expressing concern about the rubbish collection and suggesting that it consider changing to collection of multi-wall bags.

Mr Drake said that rubbish tins were put out in the streets about 5 p.m. when shops began to close and remained there till they were picked up next morning. They were still there when the typists arrived about 9 a.m. The time might have to come, said Mr Drake, when rubbish would be collected in multi-wall bags. “Scruffy” Streets

Visitors from overseas must find rubbish tins in the city streets at night a sickening sight. He could not recall

Auckland. Wellington or Dunedin looking as scruffy as Christchurch. The chamber could not blame either the City Council or the rubbish collectors because the city looked scruffy. Rather, it was a combination of things. It was for the citizens generally to improve the appearance of streets, and the chamber should urge its own members to be tidier. Mr P. M. Mac Shane said that bins were put out fairly tidily at night by office cleaners, but they did not remain tidy. They were thrown in a heap across gutters, leaving rubbish to be blown about by the wind. This happened two days a week. Mr Mac Shane said he thought that if even an extra, reasonable amount of rates was charged to provide a cleaner and better system of rubbish collection it would be worth while.

A former president of the chamber, Mr E. J. Parry, said the rubbish collection in Christchurch was disgraceful The suggestion of multi-wall bags was admirable. It had worked successfully in other cities.

Although there seemed to be criticism of the man who collected the rubbish, the City Council should look seriously at the organisation of the collection. Mr E. J. Smith said that the business community had already had to provide stan-dard-type rubbish tins and he would not like to see an extra tax levied because employees of the city were not carrying out their jobs properly. Cost Of Bags Commenting on a suggestion that the use of multi-wall bags would double the cost of collection, Mr A. G. Williams said that this would not be so. because the use of multi-wall bags would mean a much quicker collection

The cost of the bags would virtually be saved by. tabbur savings. “I think we must have a lot of sympathy for the rtibbish men,” he said. Mr P. D. Dunbar, a city councillor, said he understood that the City Engineer’s department was very conscious of the problem, and did its best.

The present dumping facilities were likely to last about five years, and the city might then have to introduce pulverisation, incineration, or some other expensive method, which might have to be charged to the community.