Hurunui District Mayor John Chaffey should listen harder if he hasn't heard the rumblings of opposition against the proposed Waipara superdump, Green MP Ian Ewen-Street said today.

"I'm amazed that Mr Chaffey was reported in today's Press as saying that he had heard little opposition to the superdump.

"I myself spoke last week to over 100 Waipara district residents concerned about the superdump - a substantial number for a wide-spread rural community. There is a real uprising of anger at the proposal, and a desire to look for other solutions such as a zero-waste policy."

Mr Ewen-Street said he has raised concerns with Local Government Minister Sandra Lee about the involvement of local government bodies, including the Hurunui District Council, in Canterbury Waste Services, the company involved in the proposed superdump.

"Surely there is an ethical dilemma in councils having a financial involvement in waste management - because the more rubbish created in their region, the more money they make. Where is the incentive to reduce waste and find a solution to the insatiable rubbish monster we have created?

"The only long-term way to deal with the ever-growing pile of rubbish we are suffocating under is to introduce a zero waste policy. Canberra has already done it, Canterbury could do it too," said Mr Ewen-Street.

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