QLDC charting course for waste minimisation

Queenstown Lakes District Council is seeking public feedback on a plan to minimise waste generated in the district.

A long term goal of zero waste guides the Waste Minimisation and Management Plan (WMMP) which charts the course for how QLDC approaches this important goal.

Last year QLDC carried out a Waste Assessment which informed seven different programme options to work towards significantly reducing waste. From the seven options, Councillors’ preference is to increase the focus on recycling glass and organics including food waste and garden material.

Queenstown Lakes Councillor and Infrastructure Committee Chair, Alexa Forbes sees this draft plan as the right initial step in setting the direction for how the district deals with its waste.

“Our communities care deeply about their environment and see how we deal with waste as a key function in respecting it. Our aim of zero waste is ambitious and will require a much longer term commitment but it's an important goal and what we need to work towards.”

An important first step is to change how glass is collected to enable us to reuse or recycle it. Currently, glass collected in the Wakatipu ward is sent to landfill because it is mixed in with other recyclable material which makes it very difficult to recycle.

Another important part of the draft plan is an increased focus on food waste and garden organics. These organic materials cause problems in the landfill and are relatively simple to deal with when separated from inorganic. Increased organics recycling will also reduce the volume of material currently going into the landfill.

“If the community supports the draft plan, we are keen to achieve this as quickly as possible. Our first phase is to focus our efforts on reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill. This will be done through recycling, reduction and reuse, alongside increased education. There is a huge amount of work going on in the background in this space and we hope the community will have its say and support our commitment,” said Councillor Forbes.

“Council genuinely wants to hear the community’s voice, and I sincerely hope anyone with a view takes their time to leave feedback online.”

An online survey, copies of the draft plan and statement of proposal as well as other relevant documents are available online here – https://www.qldc.govt.nz/your-council/your-views/wmmp/.

Submissions close at 5.00pm on Monday 30 April 2018.

ENDS

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