Govt grants $20.5m for Tauranga waste collection

The Transfer Station on Maleme Street will be closed to the public from August 2. Photo: Tauranga City Council.

Tauranga City Council has received $20.5 million in funding from the Ministry for the Environment.

The funding will enable council to upgrade and future-proof Te Maunga Transfer Station, expand recycling to include number five plastic bottles and containers, and reduce the amount of construction and demolition waste ending up in landfill.

As a result of the Te Maunga Transfer Station upgrade, the Maleme Street site will be closed to the public from August 2.

Minister for the Environment David Parker says the funding will support essential waste infrastructure projects in Tauranga that also serve the broader Bay of Plenty region.

'By reducing the amount of material, especially organics, fibre and construction waste, transported to landfill, we greatly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions created from waste in the region,” says Parker.

Council Commission and Chair Anne Tolley is welcoming the funding, which is part of the Ministry's Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund.

'The city currently sends far more waste to landfill than is necessary and this funding will directly target the issues behind that,” she says.

'The funding will not only help us improve our performance, it is also helping us deliver vital local infrastructure made possible through the Government's investment in capital costs.”

The MfE funding will go towards:

• Kerbside collection bins for 58,000 Tauranga households

• Optical sorting equipment at the Material Recycling Facility

• Upgrading the council's Te Maunga Transfer Station into a Resource Recovery Park, including a construction and demolition waste recovery plant

Council's manager sustainability and waste Sam Fellows says the MfE funding will support Council's goal of halving the amount of waste the average household sends to landfill each year by 2028.

'The MfE partnership will ensure that we can offer a hugely improved recycling and waste disposal facility to serve our City and the region.

'Upgrading our Te Maunga recycling and waste disposal facility will significantly increase the volume of recyclable waste we remove from the waste stream, while the installation of optical sorting equipment will mean that from July 1, residents will be able to put number five plastic bottles and containers into their kerbside recycling bins.”

Kerbside collections

The kerbside collection service cost for the first year will be $210 – which includes GST and the current annual glass recycling service charge of $37.34.

Te Maunga Resource Recovery Park

The intention is to future-proof Te Maunga Transfer Station by upgrading it into an extensive Resource Recovery Park.

Once the upgrades are complete, users will have better recycling and waste disposal facilities, including a reuse centre.

The centre will be run by a not-forprofit organisation and will facilitate the repurposing and upcycling of donated goods.

Fellows says the creation of Te Maunga Resource Recovery Park is a key deliverable in the council's Waste Management and Minimisation Plan, preventing more waste from ending up in landfill.

'Te Maunga will also have a new site specifically for construction and demolition waste recycling, which is much needed in our fast growing region, given the high level of building activity and the closure of the Jack Shaw Cleanfill facility last year.”

The Te Maunga Transfer Station upgrade will cost $14.5 million, with $10.5 million being funded by MfE.

The remaining cost will be covered by the income made through the transfer station, with no additional cost to ratepayers.

Residents will still be able to access Te Maunga while it is being upgraded, as the project will be completed in stages.

Maleme Street Transfer Station

As a result of the decision to introduce kerbside waste collections, as well as the upgrades to Te Maunga Transfer Station, Tauranga City Council has decided to close public access to the Maleme Street Transfer Station from August 2.

The facility will remain open for commercial account holders only, including waste collection companies.

Fellows says the long-term sustainability of the Maleme Street Transfer Station had been under review for some time.

'The Maleme Street Transfer Station is located on a low-lying site, which is prone to flooding. This has led to an unacceptable level of contaminants - mostly from vehicles - entering stormwater drains, which then affects our natural waterways and the animal and plant life they support.

'Efforts to reduce contamination from the site have not been successful and investigations show that other potential upgrading options are not financially viable and offer no certainty that they would solve the site's issues.”

He says the Council appreciates that the closure of the Maleme Street facility to the public will disappoint some people, but the introduction of the new kerbside service, from July 1 will provide all households with convenient rubbish, recycling, glass and food scraps collections, plus an optional garden waste collection, significantly reducing the need to visit the transfer station.

For more information on council's kerbside waste collections service visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/kerbsidecollections

18 comments

More proof

Posted on 18-03-2021 09:54 | By treekiwi

the council doesn't work for the ratepayers. Now everyone is being pushed to travel to Te Maunga to dump their rubbish. All the excuses about site suitability aka poor Council decision making at the start are just noise. If council was serious about keeping waste out of the environment and ensuring the public had the ability to dump responsibly, they wouldn't be limiting access to dump services.


Tom Ranger

Posted on 18-03-2021 10:31 | By Tom Ranger

Financially speaking...The only difference is everyone in NZ is now paying for it instead of just us. No rates increase.... : ). - in small print...We'll hit you in the back of the head instead, and you're still getting the bins you don't want. : )


To Infinity and beyond...

Posted on 18-03-2021 11:03 | By jstar

Finally some modern thinking on waste management in our City. Bring on the bins!


Oh Well !!

Posted on 18-03-2021 11:46 | By The Caveman

Everything will now go in the "rubbish" bin. No more trips to Maleme Street and I ain't driving all the way to Te Maunga !!


Great finally

Posted on 18-03-2021 11:58 | By Kancho

Finally getting more serious about the previously ludicrous collection where so much recycling went to the landfill or shipped to pollute some other countries. And sorry Tom your refrain is wearing thin . Passing wind against thunder. We need to spend to fix a lot let's hope they just get a lot smarter


Temporary

Posted on 18-03-2021 12:05 | By Kancho

Sorry treekiwi it doesn't say permanent closed . Just a rebuild for better service. Has to be sometime


I Don't need them

Posted on 18-03-2021 12:09 | By Auntymay

They can stay on the curb, I can't move them. Whos going to take the bins down, or up for that matter, the long driveway I have. What about the elderly??


Apologies treekiwi

Posted on 18-03-2021 12:21 | By Kancho

Skip read a dangerous thing. Didn't realize that Maleme street is permanently closing . That's not good at all. Not everything goes into bins nor sometimes the quantity. So I agree with you treekiwi and again sorry


Gst

Posted on 18-03-2021 12:48 | By Johnney

So how much has the government collected in gst from the ratepayers. Just handing back what they gained by stealth.


Rubbish

Posted on 18-03-2021 13:26 | By Told you

I for one minute don’t believe that the Maleme Transfer Station is a hazard to the storm water, and it is closing for this reason. What do the Tauranga people do with all there old mattresses and furniture, it’s a total inconvenience to go to Te Munga, another blow for the people, a rotten deal from the Council.


Tom Ranger

Posted on 18-03-2021 13:34 | By Tom Ranger

@ Kancho. I know...It wears thin on me too. I don't enjoy feeling like this about the TCC and politicians. I feel like it is important to emphasize what the reality is and cut the spin. I'm pleased we don't cop the whole rates increase oc. But....then the question is...is this fair on the tax-payer? I don't think it is personally. Why are covid response funds being spent on pre-covid, pre-existing TGA infrastructure issues? - Not what the money was allocated for.


Never happy

Posted on 18-03-2021 13:39 | By Informed

Always count on the negative comments from the Sunlive comments section. Reminds be of the motorsport comments section before the #nosocialhate scheme lead by Chaz. Maybe one day people on here will start to act with respect. Maybe.


Long drives and elderly

Posted on 18-03-2021 14:17 | By Kancho

There is I believe assistance from council to me be bins but with a form to fill in but also needs a doctor to sign so costs I imagine . Ring the council


@kancho

Posted on 18-03-2021 15:37 | By treekiwi

"As a result of the Te Maunga Transfer Station upgrade, the Maleme Street site will be closed to the public from August 2." "Maleme Street Transfer Station As a result of the decision to introduce kerbside waste collections, as well as the upgrades to Te Maunga Transfer Station, Tauranga City Council has decided to close public access to the Maleme Street Transfer Station from August 2. The facility will remain open for commercial account holders only, including waste collection companies." No mention of reopening to the public.


Deposit Return Scheme

Posted on 18-03-2021 16:29 | By Fernhill22

Rather than Rate Payers having to pay to have their rubbish collected, the Govt should be looking to introduce Deposit Return Schemes where people actually get paid to return their plastic bottles through Reverse Vending Machines. Very disappointed with the whole rubbish collection decision, taking business away from a locally owned & operated NZ business who had no opportunity to tender for the contract which has gone now to an overseas operator. Where is the fairness in that decision, and very poor decision making from TCC when they should be supporting local NZ businesses in their time of need.


Stuff to the landfill.

Posted on 18-03-2021 18:08 | By Cynical Me

If anyone thinks what's going to the landfill will change much I've got two fine concrete bridges that I can sell you for a good price. You take stuff sorted to Maleme st and they take it to the landfill despite that you have sorted it. And its not closing its going to be used for "trade" and you will have to travel to Te maunga to a site that even less suitable and drop your rubbish on the ground where the wind will whisk it away. Seagulls will arrive. Have you seen this council do anything right in the last 10 years? Tell us if you have.


Disappoint !

Posted on 19-03-2021 17:14 | By Kancho

Closure of "Maleme Street facility to the public will disappoint some people, but the introduction of the new kerbside service, etc " Well once a fortnight green bin won't take all my grass clippings let alone the pruning of hedge, trees, shrubs etc . I have no idea how I will get across the city or even where ? So disappoint hardly covers it for me. I suspect a lot of people in South Tauranga and surrounding area will not be happy either. Of course there is a lot of items that won't be handled by bins for bulky items either. I think TCC have withdrawn a responsible service with no option and I won't be surprised if roadside tipping will increase if so then on council heads be it. I thought transfer centre had a meaning but it seems we now have to be the transfer


Conflict of values

Posted on 20-03-2021 09:05 | By Wundrin

On the one hand we have the council trying to disuade people from using cars, ostensibly to "save the planet", on the other they're forcing the public to drive the extra distance to drop their rubbish at Te Maunga. Or will we be welcome to use the bus to deliver our rubbish?


Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.