Aid for municipal composting sought

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32663, 20 July 1971, Page 15

Aid for municipal composting sought

A letter urging that the Government encourage the installation of municipal composting systems has been sent to all members of Parliament by the Soil Association of New Zealand.

The secretary of the Canterbury branch of the association (Mr J. P. Whitelaw) yesterday called on the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr A. R. Guthrey) and gave him a copy of the letter and the submissions in favour of composting that accompanied it. The branch wants the City Council to set up a composting system.

“We wish to draw your immediate and urgent attention to the lack of vital Government action in dealing with the environmental pollution arising from the wasteful and insanitary methods of refuse disposal at present employed by the majority of local authorities throughout New Zealand,” says the letter.

It adds that the association was largely responsible for the pioneering work in this country on municipal composting, resulting in the set-ting-up of the Government inter-departmental committee on the utilisation of organic wastes in 1947. From that came the establishment of the Dano composting plant by the Auckland City Council in 1963 (the plant serves 95,000 persons). After more representations by the association, the letter continues, the inter departmental committee was revived in 1965, and has since produced two reports (in 1966 and 1969). “Neither of these reports has contributed very much to progress in refuse disposal and, in fact, the latter report has so many omissions and errors and is so valueless that our association has requested its withdrawal from circulation,” the letter says. A critical study of the 1969 report by the president of the association (Mr R. S. Macarthur, of Marlborough) is enclosed with the letter.

Suggested policy The association recommends that the Government adopt the following policy: Promotion of a broad educational programme using all available media pointing out the advantages and value of composting systems, and also some effort to educate children, as is done in the Nether lands.

Preparation by a competent authority of a technical bulletin setting out the basic design criteria of composting systems, to be made available free of charge to ail local authorities.

The setting-up of courses of instruction in composting systems for design and supervisory staff and for technical and management staff.

Provision of financial assistance by means of grants or low-interest loans to local authorities for (a) local re-

search, especially into regional schemes, (b) initial installation costs of composting systems for smaller communities at least at the same rate subsidy rates that are at present available for sewage systems.