Thames-Coromandel District Council Newsletter

Up to ten jobs planned for new materials recovery factility at Kopu

A brand new materials recovery facility will be established in Kopu - with up to 10 new jobs - following the award of Smart Environmental  Ltd as the winning contractor for joint collection of solid waste in Thames-Coromandel, Matamata-Piako and Hauraki.

Owned by "local" Thames-born Grahame Christian, Smart Environmental is New Zealand's largest privately owned Waste and Recycling Company and won the contract over two other tenders received following a call last year for expressions of interest.

The new materials recovery facility (MRF) will be established at the Carter Holt Harvey site on Ngati Maru Highway and will include an educational facility and new machinery to further the district's goal of waste minimisation under a joint council Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP).

The facility will be built at no cost to ratepayers, it will be owned and operated by Smart Environmental Ltd and will not preclude other community-based providers from establishing waste reduction initiatives with other materials not economically viable for Smart Environmental.

Among other improvements already announced as part of the new contract is a fortnightly wheelie bin collection for all recyclables other than glass, with the green bin used for glass only in order to reduce contamination of recyclables by broken glass.

Mr Christian - the company's Managing Director - owns a property in Whangapoua, and says the joint contract award has provided certainty for locally employed members of the Smart Environmental team and leads to this exciting new project and further job creation for a place he loves.

"As a local, born in Thames where my mother was also born and a home at Whangapoua where my father was born, I feel so privileged to be working in an area that is home to myself and our very large whanau," he said.

"Smart Environmental has a number of plans to contribute to the clean green and beautiful area that is the Thames Coromandel.

"We will be undertaking the construction of a new materials recycling facility (MRF) in Kopu at the Carter Holt Harvey site and this will create up to 10 new jobs," he said. "The new wheelie bins and crates will ensure that even more recyclables are collected and processed and are not landfilled

“We are absolutely delighted to have won this contract back again, it has been a nervous time for all of us and in particular for those whose jobs were affected. Certainty of employment and keeping together in what has been a high performing team for the past 16 years means a huge amount to all of us.

"There is no doubt that our long standing relationship with Council and the Community has served us all well and we are grateful for a further 10 year term."

Alongside Smart Environmental, all councils will continue to stimulate community enterprise in the field of waste reduction.

“The contract makes room for other providers in our community if they have practical and economically viable initiatives for diverting waste," says TCDC Solid Waste & Asset Database Manager Craig Goodwin.

"We already support numerous community-based initiatives that educate, reduce waste to landfill and provide employment in our district, and this will continue," he says.

"This is an industry that has experienced huge change and improvement over recent years and we expect there'll be more opportunity in future for reliable, established community organisations that have an interest in the field of waste reduction and can deliver initiatives alongside Smart Environmental."

Visit our kerbside website.

Can I tow my new TCDC wheelie bin on the Auckland Motorway?

No. Don't forget to leave the bin on the kerbside.

Visit our frequently asked questions section to find out more answers to common questions about the kerbside roll-out.

Timelines

- The new wheelie bins will be delivered from late July 2013

- The enhanced services will begin from 14 October 2013

- Residents and Ratepayers will receive more detailed information from us over the coming weeks

Contact us.

Stay in touch with the roll-out

We'll be posting residents detailed collections schedules very soon and also your wheelie bin will come with a handy collection 'guide book', which will also answer lots of your questions.

In the meantime, here's a few ways you can stay in touch with us as we prepare to roll-out the enhanced kerbside service:

- Facebook,

- Twitter,

- Subscribe to the "rubbish and recycling" eNewsletter

- Make sure you read your local newspaper

- Visit this webpage regularly for updates

The facts

The Enhanced Kerbside Service

1. Your rubbish bag collection will remain the same - a weekly collection

2. You'll use your Council recycling "crate(s)" for glass bottles - a fortnightly collection

3. We're introducing a new 240L wheelie bin for plastics (1-7), tin cans, paper and cardboard - a fortnightly collection ( a "put back" service will also be available)

- A ‘put-back’ service option will be available for customers wishing to pay for the wheelie bins to be returned inside property boundaries

- There will be an increase in collection services during summer peak-population times - more details will be released soon about the exact schedules

Timelines

- The new wheelie bins will be delivered from late July 2013

- The enhanced services will begin from 14 October 2013

- Residents and Ratepayers will receive more detailed information from us over the coming weeks

- Estimated Council and user savings (over ten year contract period)

- H.D.C.   $1,060,00

- M.P.D.C  $1,500,00

- T.C.D.C.  $2,158,000

ENDS

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