Friday 20 July 2018

Horowhenua District Council has adopted a plan to minimise and manage Horowhenua’s waste.

Council adopted the Waste Minimisation and Management Plan, which sets targets for dealing with waste over the next six years and provides an action plan to meet those targets, at Wednesday night’s Council meeting.

Horowhenua District Council Environmental Engineer, Ryan Hughes, said the plan identifies seven objectives, each with specific and measurable targets attached. The targets are intended to be achieved by the end of the six-year plan.

Council sought public feedback on the draft Waste Minimisation and Management Plan in March and April this year, and Mr Hughes said there was strong support for an environmental focus as the top priority Council should consider in its approach to waste.

“As a result, one of the key objectives Council will work towards is to improve community understanding of issues and opportunities for minimising and managing waste,” he said.

“Tackling waste successfully is about everyone taking individual responsibility. Council is committed to giving our community the tools to manage household waste according to the waste hierarchy, preferring waste avoidance, reduction and recycling.”

Mr Hughes said Council has set a yearly target to provide waste education to at least 700 school students and to promote waste minimisation at five events or more per year.

“Council is already ramping up activity to educate the community about tackling waste. We’re offering three free workshops between now and the end of October – Reducing our Household Rubbish: The Zero Waste Approach on 31 July, Waste Free Living Workshop with Kate Meads on August 24, and Waste Free Parenting Workshop with Kate Meads on October 25. There’s been a lot of interest, with the Waste Free Living Workshop already booked out.

“In addition, starting from late August Council will produce a quarterly newsletter full of news and advice on reducing waste. We’re also making the Easy Choice Family Kai meal planner available – it’s designed to provide dinners for a family of six in an affordable and nutritious way, producing zero food waste in the process.”

People will be able to subscribe to the newsletter and download a copy of the meal planner by visiting the Waste Minimisation page on Council’s website, https://www.horowhenua.govt.nz/Services/Rubbish-Recycling/Waste-Minimisation. Hard copies of the meal planner will be available from Council’s customer service centres in the near future. Further information about the workshops is available on the Events page of Council’s website and on Council’s Facebook events page.

Other objectives identified in the plan are to avoid creating waste; make recycling easy and safe; ensure businesses and households have access to appropriate waste disposal; create opportunities for partnerships, jobs, new products and greater efficiency; reduce illegal dumping; and work in partnership with other organisations to improve waste minimisation and management across New Zealand.

Targets include reducing the waste disposed of into the landfill to below 400kg per person; recycling at least 40 per cent of the waste collected at the roadside from households and 50 per cent of the waste taken to transfer stations; and maintaining a high level of public satisfaction with Council's solid waste services.

ENDS

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