Refuse scheme plan worries councillors

Press, 23 February 1978, Page 10

Refuse scheme plan worries councillors

Tlte metropolitan refuse, disposal scheme was alternately praised and rubbised at a special meeting of the jWaimairi County Council’s [works, reserves, and traffic ' committee. I It seemed at one stage in [the 2|-hour meeting that [there was agreement on only [one point: the pressing need' [for a better rubbish-disposal scheme. But no-one wanted! [the transfer stations — where! ’ rubbish will be compacted —I [in their neighbourhood or. in> the case of councillors, in' their riding. The County Engineer (Mri A J. W. Lamb) explained the! environmental impact report! which will be submitted to thy Commission for the En-. vironment for audit, pointing; out that it was merely the[ .first step in a long process.J The report was not really ! needed in the first place; it . was simply thought prudent! to prepare one, he said. [[ Even the old argument of ‘ plastic versus paper rubbish bags came up again, as coun- [ cillors questioned the siting [ of one of the transfer 1 stations, tentatively planned [ for the Styx Mill Road area. , The meeting finally agreed [ that the report be received, and that the Commission for . the Environment be asked to i extend the February 28 dead- i line for submissions a further j week, I As matters now stand, I [without further delays, the I; [commission expects to have!: [its audit completed by mid-!: [April. That audit, said Mr'l [Lamb, would be only an im-’i [partial view of the proposed:! scheme. The Metropolitans

. Refuse Committee would j then have to meet to consider ' its recommendations. At that stage there would probably : be public meetings, and further discussion amongst < the councils involved. ; He emphasised that the report in no way posed a legal 1 burden on Waimairi County ' [ratepayers. [ Legislation would be re[quired to give the Christ- | church rubbish disposal body [complete control over all', i operations. Basically, said Mr Lamb,! [the scheme as proposed in, [the impact report was much|[ [the same as first mooted in[ 1975. Since then, there had, [been much expert opinion; l supporting the scheme, with : [its one dumping area and! [three transfer stations. I Household and garden rubbish only would go to the,[ i transfer stations on weeki[ j days, except for certain com-! mercial refuse. During the week most commercial refuse would be ■ taken directly to the dump, near Bottle Lake. Neither the dump nor the transfer stations would have much problem with flies, scaven- ( gers, or wind-blown litter. ; Bagged household rubbish , would be compacted at the transfer stations, and some!; might eventually be used forh power generation and I \ reclamation. There were objections that [ the dump would ruin the ■ scenic attributes of the sea- : ! shore region. To this. Mr[ Lamb said that the entire fill i: area would eventually [ ■ become a recreation area, [; complete with golf course.

picnic areas and other amenities. Composting was ruled out, for the time being, by Mr Lamb. There was not a sufficient market for the compost material, he said. There were the expected objections to the frequency of trucks going to and from the transfer stations (in this case the Styx Mill site) and it was noted that alternate routes might be used. I Three groups in the Red[wood area have formally ’objected to the transfer sta- [ tion scheme. One is the Red;wood Co-ordinating CommitItee. Another, a group of Barnes Road residents, has submitted a petition to the [Commission for the Environ[ment bearing 462 signatures, [said to renresent 1487 affected people and 87 per cent of the households in the area. It was reported that [98.8 per cent of the persons [canvassed objected to the [ scheme. The third objecting group is the Redwood Businessmen’s Association. An argument was made for two, rather than three, transfer stations. Mr Lamb said that this would be more expensive in the long term and more detrimental to the environment. One letter of opposition [tabled at the meeting proI posed that the “transfer I stations” be at the dump site ' itself. The Styx Mill site contem- ! plated is zoned industrial. Mr Lamb read a list of other . “industries” which would be i more noxious in the area than the transfer station, and about which the council ! could do nothing.