Resource recovery schemes considered

Press, 19 May 1982, Page 6

Resource recovery schemes considered

Three possible schemes for the recovery of wastes at the proposed eastern refuse transfer station were put to the Christchurch Metropolitan Refuse Disposal Committee’s resource recovery subcommittee yesterday. Members heard from Mr T. H. Duston, who based his ideas on an Italian project; from Mr G. R. Stocks, who based his on an English scheme; and from the Taua Mahi Trust, which wants to run the resource recovery on contract.

Mr Duston said almost 90 per cent of items from a high technology project in eastern Rome were recoverable. Goods produced included refuse bags from waste plastic, paper, glass cullet, stock food pellets, and compost. The $7-million cost included everything except services and property, said Mr Duston. About 200 tonnes of waste were recovered each day, for about $lO to $l2 a tonne. Cr D. C. Close said that on the face of it. this appeared a good scheme. However, it would depend on what went into the plant. A great deal of industrial waste must also be disposed of in Christchurch, he said. Mr Stocks said a mechanical resource recovery scheme in Doncaster, England, had a building capital cost of about $lO million. The cost a tonne of recovered waste was $3O to $35, which included capital repayments. About 1000 tonnes

of refuse were treated each week, he said.

Mr Stocks said the plant turned out glass cullet, fuel pellets. ferrous metals, paper, and plastics. - Cr Close said a plant had to be built to meet local needs. The Doncaster plant produced a refuse-derived fuel which contained 75 per cent the heat of coal. In Christchurch, an item which was saleable would have to .be produced.

Cr I. G. Clark said Christchurch needed a smokeless fuel, which if produced would meet a ready market. Cr H. A. Clark said that from the two men's evidence, the continuing cost of resource recovery would be higher than at the existing transfer station. Ratepayers already believed the present scheme was costly.

Both men told the subcommittee that little machinery in their respective schemes would wear out.

Representatives of the Taua Mahi Trust said its proposal was to supply labour and transport on contract. It did not want to do the work as a Project Employment Programme scheme because of the temporary nature of this. The work should be on contract, either subsidised or not. Progress report Sub-committee members were told that revenue from resource recovery at the existing Metro Refuse

Station was up 18.8 per cent in April, compared with the previous month. The sale of recyclables, including scrap metal, and bottles, had brought in $2135, compared with $1797 for the previous month.

The project engineer, Mr A. C. Vogan, said this was about the highest figure so far. Oil had been sold for the

first time, and 400 litres had brought in $2O. Mr Vogan said about 70-to--80 tonnes of newspaper were in stock. The sub-committee chairman, Cr G. D. Stanley, said a deal with a New Zealand exporting company, which could bring in $3OOO- - a month for old newspaper, was being negotiated.

Members were told that a secondhand baling machine for packing recyclable items was ready to’ start work after an overhaul.

Bins had been put in the transfer station building for people who had not presorted their waste.' Plastic film was now being collected.

Mr Vogan said the subcommittee had been told that plastic soft drink bottles could be processed in Otaki but the black base and label were fixed on with a non-

waior-soluble adhesive, which caused problems. Extra time to remove, these

made the process uneconomical. Sub-committee members agreed to write to the manufacturers about this.