Horowhenua District Council Considers Levin Landfill Future

Horowhenua District Council is seeking public input to help develop a medium-term strategy for Levin Landfill as part of the consultation on its Draft Waste Minimisation and Management Plan.

Public priorities identified through the consultation will guide the development of options for the landfill’s future. Although options remain open at this stage, Council has identified three possibilities that are likely to be considered: closing the landfill, using it for Horowhenua’s waste only, and continuing with the status quo.

Currently, Levin Landfill is used to dispose of around 15,000 tonnes of waste from Kāpiti each year under a contract which expires in 2021. In addition to the waste from Kāpiti, around 83 per cent of the 18,000 tonnes of waste Horowhenua generates each year ends up in Levin Landfill.

If the landfill is closed, non-recyclable waste from Horowhenua would have to be transported to an alternative landfill outside the District.

Horowhenua District Council Environmental Engineer, Ryan Hughes, said the closure option raised a number of factors for consideration, including the increased carbon footprint of transporting waste a greater distance, travel time, disposal charges, long-term security of access, and the financial impact for Council and Horowhenua ratepayers.

If the landfill is used exclusively for waste produced in the Horowhenua, Council would need to consider a range of options for mitigating the loss of revenue from disposal of Kāpiti’s waste. This revenue currently subsidises recycling services in Horowhenua.

If the status quo continues, Levin Landfill is expected to be full by 2030. Council would then explore options for dealing with Horowhenua’s waste in the future.

Cost estimates for these options range from no additional cost to a $2.5 million impact on rates if the landfill closes.

Council is seeking feedback on the Draft Waste Minimisation and Management Plan via formal submissions or a survey, which ask people what factors Council should prioritise in developing the strategy for Levin Landfill.

Submission forms can be completed online on Council’s website at www.horowhenua.govt.nz/DraftWasteMMP or collected from Council’s customer service centres: Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō and Council offices in Levin, Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom in Foxton or the Shannon Library.

The consultation period closes at 5pm on Tuesday 10 April.

Further information, including a Statement of Proposal, Draft Waste Assessment and Draft Waste Minimisation and Management Plan, is available from Council’s website or from Council’s customer service centres.

ENDS

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