Early closing of tip rejected

Press, 16 August 1978, Page 6

Early closing of tip rejected

A proposal to speed up the metropolitan rubbish disposal scheme was rejected by a Christchurch City Council committee yesterday because it would be too hard on ratepax ers.

The aim of the proposal was to allow the closing of the Bexley tip by 1983, instead of 1986. Councillors said <he early closing option was ideal, since it got rhe new scheme under way as early as possible, but the costs to ratepayers would be too high. “I could not soe our ratepayers meeting this extra amount just to bring the scheme forward a *ew years,” said Cr Newton Dodge. The option recommended would have the rubbish scheme financed and implemented over 10 years, instead of six years. On its own. the scheme would require a 5 per cent increase each vear until the end of 1982. while the option recommended yesterday would require a 2.27 per cent increase over those years. Sir Robert Macfarlane said that a special report, approved by the policy and finance committee, should be prepared on possible interim places for the city to dump its rubbish until the metro-

il politan landfill site was if ready. •- "It is not only a question of whether -the other local y bodies will go for it,” he I, said of the option to spend e more money over fewer years, “but whether our !- ratepayers will.” He questioned whether public; opinion would be with the a council, even among Bexley e residents forced to pay •• higher rates. Cr Mollie Clark said the Government should be asked h to include rubbish schemes , in projects eligible for subsidies, as water and sewerage schemes were now. p “While the scheme is t desirable, the costs of it are e too high,” she said of the; metropolitan project. It was! ~ a huge project, needed on; t social and environmental; grounds, “but the costs are' j beyond the local commun- ,. ity.” she said. “We cannot! $ saddle the ratepayer with e any more.” 1 The City Engineer (Mr P. ?>G. Scoular) said that the' ■ metropolitan scheme was!

“very much cheaper” tha ; mechanical disposal of th ! city’s refuse. It would cos about twice as much to pu verise the rubbish, and flv : times as much to incinerat it. “It is pretty hard to sa : how we can get anythin (much cheaper,” he said. “It sounds a lot worse be i cause we have had it s« cheaply for so long,” Cr Dodge said. Mr Scoular admitted that i the metropolitan scheme i would triple the cost of refuse disposal. Councillor D. F. Caygill ’ said the council was not be- • ing realistic to assume that i the scheme's cost would be only $480,000 over the next ’eight years. It would be [something like SIM annually i in eight years because of ini flation in the meantime. ' The committee agreed to i seek a Government subsidy ; on capital costs through the I metropolitan committee, and to get a report by next month on possible interim [disposal sites that would ’allow Bexlev to close earlier.