Chch awaits better rubbish-collect offer

Press, 14 May 1979, Page 7

Chch awaits better rubbish-collect offer

The Christchurch City Council will not consider contracting out its rubbishcollection service, as Auckland has done, unless it can get a better private offer than it has received in the past.

In Auckland a city councillor has said Auckland's present annual collection cost of $900,410 would be cut almost $500,000. An Auckland firm, Bin Services, Ltd, produced the lowest of 10 tenders for the city’s domestic and commercial rubbish collection. It would do the job for $12.78 a tonne for three years, with some provision for increase during the contract period. The decision to accept a private ■ contractor came after months of dispute between the council, the Northern Drivers’ Union,

I and the LocaL Body Labourers’ Union. An Auckland firm that had had discussions off and on with Christchurch had never been able to demonstrate a cost advantage, said the City Engineer (Mr P. G. Secular) on Friday. "If they made a firm offer, we would certainly, consider it,” Mr Scoular said. There had been “quite a few approaches” over the years from, contractors, "but nobody has been able to better our costs yet,” he said. “If they can beat our costs, we would be interested, snbject to continuity of the service being assured,” The council Would require assurances that costs would not rise simply because there was no other private competition for the contractor.

There was also a question abait what to do with council men and equipment, said the Town Clerk (Mr J. H. Gray). In addition, there was a high public relations elenent in rubbish collections. With a private contractor, iiere would be no direct control over the staff, only /through enforcing contract conditions.

City rubbish collection costs were $770,617 last year, and have been estimated at $939,200 this financial year. Within that increase, ordinary collection costs would be up almost $BO,OOO, and the cost of rubbish bags would rise about $58,000. Mr Scoular said the council was considering other ways to reduce its collection costs.