Rubbish disposal

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32778, 1 December 1971, Page 16

Rubbish disposal

Sir, —How is it that the Heathcote County Council has one day a year when residents can put out all types of rubbish but not the

Christchurch City Council? What can the tidy city people do with their excess rubbish, particularly those without a car? Some contractors will remove the debris after completion of a repair job, but not many. Could not something be done as is done in Sydney? Once a year there is what is called "the Smith Family” day. All sorts of things are put out for taking by the public—furniture, toys, prams, anything at all. Folks commence early in the morning looking for something which may be of use to them and by the time the rubbish collectors arrive there is little left. How about it, Christchurch?— Yours, etc., A SENIOR CITIZEN. November 22, 1971.

[The City Engineer (Mr P. G. Scoular) replies: “The

periodic collection of special refuse (i.e., other than household refuse) has been considered by the council on numerous occasions, but has not been adopted. Currently, the collection and disposal of household refuse is costing $300,000 a year, and any additional services would increase this cost markedly. Present collection vehicles and staff are fully committed; therefore any extra service would require additional plant and staff or work at overtime rates of pay. For those people without a car, commercial services are avr” able, and these are list— .u the yellow pages of the telephone directory. It is considered that there are many disadvantages in the proposal which the correspondent ascribes to Sydney.”]