Ashburton Bookarama's Big Bill For Binning Books

Friday, 10 October 2025, 5:13 pm
Article: Jonathan Leask - Local Democracy Reporter

Rotary Club of Ashburton’s annual Bookarama fundraiser has received a $3,500 boost from the district council to help cover rising costs of disposing the unsellable items. 

The event was granted $3,500 from the council’s discretionary fund to assist with disposing of around 16 tonnes of unsold books and magazines - the equivalent weight of about eight large cars. Bookarama organiser David Mead welcomed the council’s assistance. 

“We know it’s a one-off,” Mead said. 

“We will be working with the council on a longer-term solution for the issue.” 

The club had a $7,000 cost in 2024 to dispose of around 20 tonnes of unwanted material to the Kate Valley landfill. 

The annual sale, which has run for 47 years, has raised around $70,000 in recent years, which Rotary grants to community projects. Councillors voted on October 1 to cover half the disposal costs this year, some of which cover the materials being diverted to a company in Christchurch to be recycled rather than dumped. 

At the meeting, Chief executive Hamish Riach said the council has supported the event with disposal for many years but “we no longer believe it's possible for council to continue to do this”. 

Covering half the costs this year helps “the transition from having that support, to not having that support”. 

Riach said some donated items “are simply unable to be sold”, such as old magazines. 

“They just get boxes and boxes of it as households take advantage of the opportunity to clean out old stuff.” 

If the materials weren’t going through Rotary’s book sale, it would end up in the council’s solid waste system and would be covered by rates to transport to Kate Valley landfill anyway he said. 

“They are acting in a sense as a quasi-solid waste service for books.” 

Cr Richard Wilson supported the grant but was concerned about the timing of the request, falling outside the usual grants process, and questioned why Rotary didn’t cover the overheads associated with the event. 

Cr Lynette Lovett was the only vote against the grant, calling it “an excessive amount”. 

Lovett worried it would set a precedent for other organisations to line up for financial assistance with similar issues. 

“I know of clothing shops here that get people's rubbish dumped on their doorstep and they have to dispose of it, and these are all charities,” Lovett said. 

Democracy and engagement manager Toni Durham said the Rotary Club was willing to share the costs and had been advised to submit to the annual plan for a longer-term solution. 

That may include looking at how they receive the donations. 

Councillors Tony Todd and Carolyn Cameron left the table when the grant was being considered due to a conflict of interest, as both are Rotary members.

-LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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