Council may set up recycling plant

Press, 9 June 1977, Page 6

Council may set up recycling plant

Some Christchurch City > Council members want a special committee set up toj study rubbish recycling pro-i cesses. The chairman of the' works and traffic committee: (Cr. P. D. Dunbar) said! yesterday that he thought! the public expected that kind of action. Councillor i Vicki Buck, who had suggested a comprehensive re-, port as part of this year’s ‘ Labour Party local body; election plank, said the first { report did not go far enoughin looking at specifics. If all arguments against! c o u n c i 1-run recycling < schemes came down to ai question of profit, she said., the “profit” of having to find I less burial room for rubbish must be taken into account. |: In other recommendations,; the committee said investigations of “viable mar-1 kets” for reclaimed materials I should continue, together;! with forecasts of how much-

i in each category — such as paper and bottles — could ! be recovered. The Department of Trade and Industry will be asked ; about the national availabiliity of markets for recycled I rubbish. ! The Services Engineer (Mr L. D. B. Scantlebury) said isome recycling schemes at I the Bexley tip had fallen through because groups run'ning them had lost interest. Cr Buck said that would not {happen if schemes were run 'by the council. About 200 tonnes of rub- ! bish per day is handled from jcity sources, divided about i equally between household I r u b b i s h and com-; imercial/industrial refuse.! Garden waste makes up the I rest. j All rubbish sorted at the; (tip would have to be in’ ! large areas which could be I well supervised, Mr Scantie- i I bury said. I “In the past, the council’

nhas been put to the expensi II of disposing of stockpile {which eventually were no' s'wanted,” he added, "so it ii i, essential that, before recycl--ling can be considered, read} [! markets must be estab j fished." Discussions are now beinr II held with a private contractor for a special collet i {tion for paper. Writte • iconfirmation of a bottle-rec’ . aiming operation is awaite> i’from a local firm. li Some materials, such a I non-ferrous metal and casi (iron, have a good market i * consequently, little of tha: :j material is found at th« I dump. The cost of a composting 'plant is being studied. Such i'a plant would be needed “tc I obtain a consistent market- -; able compost from municipal i refuse.” Mr Scantlebur, said. Information on com(posting work in the Netherlands and Auckland is beii sought.