Rises annoy contractors
Increases of up to 100 per cent in dumping charges will nut a considerable financial burden on commercial rubbish contractors, according to the chairman of the Christchurch Metropolitan Refuse Disposal Committee (Mr J- M McKenzie) last eV The rises came as a shock, he told a meeting of the Heathcote County Council. H The committee had recommended to member councils that dumping>charges rise to uniform, levels. For ccmmereial operators this means a doubling of existing charges ' to $4 a tonne.?' , The . Christchurch City has already adopted!
the committee’s recommendation. Its new charges will begin on April 1. The Heathcote County Council was to have voted last evening on similar changes. However, Mr McKenzie, who is also County Chairman, had had the problems of commercial contractors explained to him by a representative of 26 private contractors, Mr R. Cook, earlier in the afternoon. Mr Cook told Mr McKenzie that .many contractors were tied to their existing charges by one-year or twoyear contracts without escalation clauses, enabling them to pass on theL; increases in dumping charges. £
Mr McKenzie said he was, suprised to discover this in-i formation and that the com-: mittee had not been aware , of it when it made the recommendation on increased
charges. He moved an amendment to the motion increasing dumping charges in the county. The motion was carried but will now be subject to any decision made by the Metropolitan Refuse Committee after it meets a delegation of commercial contractors today' or early next week. Commercial contractors approached- by. “The Press” yesterday were.unanimous in condemning the* increases..
■ One contractor said he had (made a point of approaching ‘the City Council earlier this 'year before negotiating contracts. He was told that increases in dumping charges would not be considered by the council until June. He then negotiated the contracts on this basis. Others said that the rise gave them no alternative but to use private dumps, which as yet, have not increased their charges. / .- One contractor said the choice was clear-cut when private dumps charged only $5 for a load of rubbish compared with $25 at a council dump. - , -rf..- ■ -
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Press, 28 March 1980, Page 4
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355Rises annoy contractors Press, 28 March 1980, Page 4
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