$190,000 refuse machinery order

Press, 25 July 1984, Page 9

$190,000 refuse machinery order

In an attempt to take advantage of pre-devalua-tion prices, the Christchurch Metropolitan Refuse Disposal Committee has decided to order about $190,000 worth of extra equipment. The committee was told yesterday that devaluation would probably result in a 25 per cent increase in the cost of motor-vehicles with imported parts. The committee plans to build a Northern Metro Station which would need to be equipped with a tractor and trailer unit for moving refuse. Whether the station was built the same amount of refuse would have to be moved to the landfill, the committee was told. The three tractor and trailer units at the Eastern Transfer Station in Parkhouse Road, Sockbum can clear the floor on busy days only by working overtime. The seasonal rise in refuse in the spring would throw an additional load,on the station. V

No provision had been made in the estimates for the early expenditure but by buying now the committee could expect to save about $50,000.

Cr Maurice Carter (Christchurch City Council) said that it made sense to buy the vehicles now if they were going to be needed. Cr R. H. Arbuckle (Christchurch City Council) said the extra vehicle was needed because the existing fleet was fully used and there was no spare when maintenance had to be done.

“At this stage we don’t have any choice — we need the extra vehicle,” he said. The committee’s chairman, Cr W. T. Rice (Waimairi District Council), said that the committee had five vehicles already and the original plan had been for only four. The new machines would be a tremendous advantage as long as the committee could be satisfied there was a need.

Cr R. B. Wright (Christchurch City Council) said

that he did not want to see the committee buy a vehicle that would then just sit in the yard. The financial secretary, Mr P. W. Chapple, said there was no money available for the purchase and he would not be happy with the committee placing an order without the money to pay for it. The committee was at a disadvantage because it had to make a quick decision when it had not had time to look at the financial aspects. “Another truck would be another driver and another $lO,OOO in wages,” he said. The committee agreed to order the equipment, subject to finance being available. Extended hours The Western Transfer Station in Parkhouse Road, Sockbum, and the Eastern Transfer Station in Ruru Road, Bromley, will have extended hours once the Bexley landfill closes on August 3. The committee adopted a recommendation of the pro-

ject engineer, Mr A. C. Vogan, that one-hour later closing on Saturdays and one-hour earlier opening on Sundays would spread the load on Saturday afternoons and reduce the queue or Sunday mornings. The new hours will be f a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Fridays; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays; and 9 a.m. to f p.m. on Sundays. Opening delay The new refuse station in Ruru Road will not open until September 14, the committee was told. The contractor has advised that the earliest he can complete the pit and compactor areas will be August 31 and the amenities area is unlikely to be finished before September 14. Twelve men are on the site and the contractor did not want to employ any extra men because he expected several men to become available from other jobs towards the end of W t. If he employed additional

staff now it could lead to redundancy problems later. Cr Arbuckle said that the completion of the station affected the city as a whole and it should take priority over any other jobs. Cr Carter said the committee had been tolerant with the extended time but it was perhaps time that the contractor was told of the committee’s concern about the delay. The contractor will be asked to increase his efforts to finish the station on time. Cartoned milk A letter will be sent to the incoming Minister of, Trade and Industry, Mr Caygill, expressing the committee’s opposition to the introduction of unflavoured milk in cartons. A report on the likely effects of a change from glass bottles to cardboard cartons for town milk was prepared for the committee. It showed that any change to cartons in the urban area would result in an extra a 1045 tonnes of refuse. The "

additional cost would be about $16,500 a year, not including the cost of collection. A spokesman for the Dairy Board said in the report that there was no immediate plan to change to cartons. Cr D. C. Close (Christchurch City Council) said there were already many items in bulky disposable cartons and people tended not to crush them before they threw them away. Bins filled quickly and householders would probably have to buy more rubbish bags because another 20 cartons a week would not fit into the bag, he said. Milk bottles could be used 100 times before disposal and the introduction of cartons would be a step back, he said. Cr Wright said the committee should consider the bottles that were left broken in the street or put in rubbish bags unwrapped. il These were dangerous; to he said. r