Refuse scheme cost up

Press, 9 April 1981, Page 6

Refuse scheme cost up

Christchurch’s six local bodies will be asked to pay $1,191,590 this year for the Metropolitan Refuse Disposal Scheme, about 20 per cent more than last year. The increase was necessary to cover nunning costs for the Western Transfer Station, to be opened this year, said Mr H. A. Clark, chairman of the Christchurch Metropolitan Refuse Disposal Committee, .yesterday. At a special meeting yesterday, the committee approved the estimates for rubbish disposal in the city and the six local authorities will now consider their individual contributions. “This is the first year in which the committee has to meet an operational budget,

rather than a capital budget, with the first transfer station about to come into use,” Mr Clark said. “The question is now if the contributing authorities are able to finance their contributions Solely from rates,” he said. , The Christchurch City Council is responsible for the biggest contribution of $704,122, based on its population ratio of 59 per cent. The next biggest contribution comes from Waimairi County, with 24.4 - per cent of the population. The smallest contribution from the six member local authorities comes from Kaiapoi Borough, with 1.7 per cent of the population. It is being asked to pay about $20,500.In return, Kaiapoi will re-

ceive $lO,OOO towards a mini-transfer station. The Mayor of Kaiapoi (Mr H. W. Cumberland) said he doubted if he would be able to justify the 20 per cent rise to members of his council. , “I feel that, before we can approve of the increase Kaiapoi should have at least one of the following from the Metropolitan Refuse Committee: a compacting machine;' « contribution towards the transport of rubbish to the nearest disposal site; or a contribution towards a recycling project which is to be initiated in Kaiapoi.” . Mr Cumberland said that the Kaiapoi refuse tip was more than full. It would not be long' before it. was unusable. ..

“We are using the space above the tip. We are allowed to pile the rubbish as high as three metres above the tip, and I think we are up to that point now,” he said. The Kaiapoi Borough Council works committee at its meeting on Monday evening had approved a recycling scheme for refuse in the area, and proceedings had been started to employ two Project Employment Programme labourers to work on sorting rubbish for recycling, he said. The Metropolitan Refuse Committee decided to grant the Kaiapoi Borough Council $lO,OOO, additional to the original estimates, as “a contingency, sum” for .a transfer station at Kaiapoi.