11 February 2004

Over Half Of Manukau's Rubbish Could Be Recycled Or Composted

More than half the household rubbish thrown out each week in Manukau could be recycled or composted, according to Manukau City Council's latest solid waste audit.

The Council regularly conducts an audit of the rubbish put out for the weekly collection by households. This year's audit results revealed that although the amount of rubbish had reduced in weight by 5%, there was still significant room for improvement.

Chair of the Environment and Urban Design Committee, Noel Burnside, says this year's results are disappointing.

According to the audit results, each household in the city threw out an average of 12.72 kg of rubbish during the week beginning 4 October 2004. More than 68% of this rubbish could have been either recycled or composted. Recyclable rubbish made up 16.4% and compostable organic material accounted for 52.2% of the total rubbish collected.

"I urge people to think about what they throw away," says Councillor Burnside.

"It's easy to reduce your rubbish by shopping environmentally, composting your kitchen scraps and garden rubbish and recycling."

"The disposal of rubbish is an increasing problem not only for Manukau but for the entire country. New Zealanders throw away about 3.6 tonnes of rubbish every year - that's more than 1000 nine ton buses every day.

"While the government and councils are working on ways to address New Zealand's rubbish problem, at the end of the day it's what individuals do that will really make the difference," he says.

Manukau City Council provides a weekly kerbside collection service for recyclable rubbish, free home composting courses are available for residents and Manukau City Council, along with other councils in the Auckland region, is developing food waste collection and composting strategies for the region.

ENDS

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