Waste Assessment for Waste Management and Minimisation Plan Review Prepared for Ashburton District Council

Transcription

1 Waste Assessment for Waste Management and Minimisation Plan Review Prepared for Ashburton District Council 14/07/2015 Prepared for: Craig Goodwin Ashburton District Council Prepared by:

2 David Lindsay Duncan Wilson Bruce Middleton (Waste Not Consulting Ltd) Approved by: Duncan Wilson (Project Director) Contact Details Eunomia Research & Consulting Ltd PO Box Grey Lynn Auckland 1245 New Zealand Tel: Fax: Web: Waste Not Consulting Ltd PO Box Grey Lynn Auckland 1245 New Zealand Tel: Fax: Web: Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment 2015 ii Contents 1.0 Introduction Structure of this Document Purpose of this Waste Assessment... 3

3 1.3 Legislative Context Scope General Period of Waste Assessment Consideration of Solid, Liquid and Gaseous Wastes Public Health Issues Local Planning Context Long Term Plan Solid Waste Activity Management Plan Canterbury Regional Council Plans Key Relationships Available Documentation Ashburton District Key Statistics Demographics Economy Implications of Economic and Demographic Trends Overview of Waste Management in the District Council Private Sector Community Waste Infrastructure Resource Recovery Parks Recycling and Reprocessing Facilities Waste Services Council Waste Services Council-contracted Collection Services Other Council Services Solid Waste Bylaw Waste Education and Minimisation Programmes Funding for Council Services Assessment of Council Services Non-Council Services Waste Data and Flows Introduction Definitions Council-controlled and Commercially-controlled Waste Flows Waste Generation Sources in Ashburton District Overall Waste Flows from Ashburton District Council Control of Overall Waste Stream Landfilled Waste Composition of Landfilled Waste Kerbside Refuse Cleanfilled Waste Organic Waste Recycled Waste Rural Waste... 46

4 6.8 Waste Analysis Summary and Key Points Future Data Requirements Performance Measurement Current Performance Measurement Per Capita Kerbside Recycling Kerbside Refuse as a Proportion of Waste to Landfill Recommend Options for Demand and Performance Measurement for Inclusion in the WMMP Future Demand and Gap Analysis Future Demand Population Economic Activity Changes in Lifestyle and Consumption Changes in Waste Management Approaches Summary of Demand Factors Projections of Future Demand Future Demand Gap Analysis Waste Streams Hazardous Wastes Statement of Options Regulation Measuring and Monitoring Communication and Education Kerbside Services Transfer Station and Drop-Off Options Leadership and Collaboration Service Delivery Models Summary Table of Potential Options Statement of Council s Intended Role Statutory Obligations Overall Strategic Direction and Role Statement of Proposals Statement of Extent Protection of Public Health Effective and Efficient Waste Management and Minimisation i Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment 2015 ii

5 1.0 Introduction This Waste Assessment has been prepared for the Ashburton District Council (ADC) in accordance with the requirements of the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 (WMA). This document provides background information and data to support Ashburton District Council s waste management and minimisation planning process. 1.1 Structure of this Document This document in arranged into a number of sections designed to help construct a picture of waste management in the District. Introduction The introduction covers a number of topics that set the scene this includes clarifying the purpose of this Waste Assessment, its scope, legislative context, and key documents that have informed the assessment. Ashburton District Council This section presents a brief overview of key aspects of the district s geography, economy, and demographics that influence the quantities and types of waste generated and potential opportunities. Waste Infrastructure, Services, Data and Performance Measurement These sections examine how waste is currently managed, where waste comes from, how much there is and what it is made up of and where it goes. Gap Analysis and Future Demand This section provides an analysis of what is likely to influence demand for waste and recovery services in the district and identifies key gaps in current and future service provision. Statement of Options & Councils Proposed Role These sections develop options available for meeting the future demand and Council s proposed role in ensuring future demand is met. Statement of Proposals The statements of proposal set out what actions are proposed to be taken forward. Ashburton s proposals are identical to the actions put forward in the WMMP so the Waste Assessment simply references the WMMP for this section. Appendices This covers the statement from the medical officer of health as well as additional detail related to legislation. 1.2 Purpose of this Waste Assessment This waste assessment is intended to provide an initial step to the development of a waste management and minimisation plan (WMMP), and sets out the information 3

6 necessary to identify the key issues and priority actions that will be included in the draft WMMP. Section 51 of the WMA outlines the requirements of a waste assessment, which must include: 1. a description of the collection, recycling, recovery, treatment, and disposal services provided within the territorial authority s district 2. a forecast of future demands 3. a statement of options 4. a statement of the territorial authority s intended role in meeting demands 5. a statement of the territorial authority s proposals for meeting the forecast demands 6. a statement about the extent to which the proposals will protect public health, and promote effective and efficient waste management and minimisation 1.3 Legislative Context The principal solid waste legislation in New Zealand is the Waste Minimisation Act The stated purpose of the WMA is to: encourage waste minimisation and a decrease in waste disposal in order to (a) protect the environment from harm; and (b) provide environmental, social, economic, and cultural benefits. To further its aims, the WMA requires territorial authorities to promote effective and efficient waste management and minimisation within their district. To achieve this, all territorial authorities (TAs) are required by the legislation to adopt a WMMP. The WMA requires every TA to complete a formal review of its existing waste management plan every six years. The review must be consistent with WMA sections 50 and 51. Section 50 of the WMA also requires all TAs to prepare a Waste Assessment prior to reviewing its existing plan. This document has been prepared in fulfilment of that requirement. The Council s existing Waste Assessment was written in September 2011 and the WMMP was adopted on 15 th December Further detail on key waste related legislation is contained in Appendix A Scope General As well as fulfilling the statutory requirements of the WMA, this waste assessment will build a foundation that will enable ADC to develop its WMMP in an informed and effective manner. In preparing this document, reference has been made to the Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

7 Ministry for the Environment s Waste Management and Minimisation Planning: Guidance for Territorial Authorities 1. A key issue for this waste assessment will be forming a clear picture of waste flows and management options in the District. The WMA requires that a waste assessment must contain: A description of the collection, recycling, recovery, treatment, and disposal services provided within the territorial authority s district (whether by the territorial authority or otherwise). This means that the waste assessment must take into consideration all waste and recycling services carried out by private waste operators as well as its own services. While the Council has reliable data on the waste flows that it controls, data on those services provided by private industry is limited. Reliable, regular data on waste flows is important if Council chooses to include waste reduction targets in the WMMP. Without data, any targets cannot be measured. The NZ Waste Strategy 2010 also makes clear that territorial authorities have a statutory authority (under the WMA) to promote effective and efficient waste management and minimisation in their district. This applies to all waste and materials flows in the district, not just those controlled by Council Period of Waste Assessment The WMA requires WMMPs to be reviewed at least every six years, but it is naturally prudent to take a longer term view. The horizon for the WMMP is not fixed but is assumed to be centred around a 10 year timeframe in line with the Council s Long Term Plan (LTP). For some assets and services it is necessary to consider a longer timeframe and so this is taken into account where appropriate Consideration of Solid, Liquid and Gaseous Wastes In line with Council s previous waste management strategies, this assessment is focused on solid waste. The guidance provided by the Ministry for the Environment on preparing Waste Management and Minimisation Plans states that: Councils need to determine the scope of their WMMP in terms of which wastes and diverted materials are to be considered within the plan. The guidance goes on to suggest that liquid or gaseous wastes which are directly managed by the Council, or are disposed of to landfill, should be seriously considered for inclusion in a WMMP. Other wastes that could potentially be within the scope of the WMMP include gas from landfills; ADC owns closed landfill sites (Ashburton, Methven, Rakaia, Hinds and Mayfield landfills 2 ) but the sites are relatively small and no gas capture is undertaken. 1 Ministry for the Environment (2009), Waste Management and Minimisation Planning: Guidance for Territorial Authorities. Wellington. 2 Resource consents have been obtained for all of these and all are subject to ongoing monitoring and aftercare in accordance with consent conditions and Post Closure Management Plans 5

8 ADC s strategy for the management of biosolids from waste water treatment processes is included in the Utilities Asset Management Plan. The Trade Waste Bylaw deals with discharge of liquid waste from commercial sources where that discharge is to Council s wastewater network. Therefore, apart from some liquid hazardous wastes which are managed through solid waste facilities, this waste assessment and the subsequent WMMP will focus primarily on solid waste Public Health Issues Protecting public health is one of the original reasons for local authority involvement in waste management. The NZ waste strategy (2010) contains the twin high level goals of Reducing the harmful effects of waste, and Improving the efficiency of resource use. In terms of addressing waste management in a strategic context, protection of public health can be considered one of the components entailed in reducing harm. Protection of public health is currently addressed by a number of different pieces of legislation. Discussion of the implications of the legislation is contained in Appendix A Key Waste Management Public Health Issues Key issues that are likely to be of concern in terms of public health include the following: Management of putrescible wastes Management of nappy and sanitary wastes Potential for dog/seagull/vermin strike Timely collection of material Management of spillage Litter and illegal dumping Medical waste from households and healthcare operators Storage of wastes Management of hazardous wastes (including asbestos, e-waste, etc.) Private on-site management of wastes (i.e. burning, burying) Closed landfill management including air and water discharges, odours and vermin Health and safety considerations in collection and handling Management of Public Health Issues From a strategic perspective the above issues are likely to apply to a greater or lesser extent to virtually all options under consideration. For example illegal dumping tends to take place ubiquitously, irrespective of whatever waste collection and transfer Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

9 station systems are in place. Some systems may exacerbate the problem (infrequent collection, user charges, inconveniently located facilities etc.), but by the same token the issues can be managed through methods such as enforcement, education, providing convenient facilities etc. In most cases public health issues will be able to be addressed through setting appropriate performance standards for waste service contracts and ensuring performance is monitored and reported on, and that there are appropriate structures within the contracts for addressing issues that arise. There is expected to be added emphasis on workplace health and safety under the new Health and Safety at Work Act currently before Parliament. This could impact on the choice of collection methodologies and working practices and design at waste facilities for example. In addition, public health impacts will be able to be managed through consideration of potential effects of planning decisions especially for vulnerable groups. That is, potential issues will be identified prior to implementation so they can be mitigated for. 1.5 Local Planning Context The Waste Assessment and resulting WMMP take place within a local planning context whereby the actions and objectives identified in the Waste Assessment and WMMP reflect, intersect with and are expressed through other planning documents. Key planning documents and waste related goals and objectives are noted in this section Long Term Plan The Long Term Plan (LTP) Part 4: Rubbish and Recycling takes its strategic direction largely from the previous WMMP. The Levels of Service are identified as follows: Protect the community and environment from the effects of harmful waste and promote waste minimisation Rubbish and recycling collection services meet customers needs Solid Waste Activity Management Plan The objective of the Solid Waste Activity Management Plan (January 2015) is to explain the Council s strategic and management approach for solid waste disposal. The Activity Management Plan covers: A description of the activity, including the rationale for Council involvement and any significant negative effects of the activity. The strategic environment (Council s vision and goals and future demand drivers) for the activity, the key asset management policies and strategies adopted within this environment and the main risk issues identified for the activity. A statement of the intended levels of service and performance targets. Information on the scope of assets involved in delivering services, and statements on: 7

10 The estimated cost for achieving and maintaining the target levels of service. How Council will assess and manage the implications of demand and service levels and standards, the estimated costs of the provision of additional asset capacity and how these costs will be met. How the maintenance, renewal and replacement of assets will be undertaken, and how they will be funded. How expenses will be met and the estimated revenue levels and other source of funds. The Activity Management Plan should be referred to for additional detail on waste related assets held by the Council and noted in this Waste Assessment Canterbury Regional Council Plans The Canterbury Regional Policy Statement (CRPS) became operative on 15 January The CRPS provides an overview of the resource management issues in the Canterbury region, and the objectives, policies and methods to achieve integrated management of natural and physical resources. Regional and District Plans cannot be inconsistent with the CRPS. Chapter 19, Waste Minimisation and Management, contains objectives and policies for waste management in the region and methods to achieve them. Objective Minimise the generation of waste Adverse effects on the environment are avoided by minimising the generation of waste. Objective Minimise adverse effects of waste Adverse effects on the environment caused by residual waste and its management are avoided, remedied or mitigated. Policy Waste management hierarchy To apply the principles of the 5Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Residual waste management) hierarchy to the management of all waste streams. This policy implements the following objectives: Objective , Objective Methods: The Canterbury Regional Council: Will: (1) Set out objectives and policies, and may include methods in regional plans to manage the disposal of residual waste through the control of disposal processes and practices. (2) Set out objectives and policies, and may include methods in regional plans that will require consideration of the adverse waste effects with regard to discharges to land, air and water and in any land-use over which a regional plan has control. 3 3 Both the Canterbury Land & Water Regional Plan and the Canterbury Air Regional Plan address some of the adverse waste effects. Further detail can be found in appendix A.2.7. Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

11 Should: (3) Advocate the implementation of the 5Rs principles throughout the Canterbury region. (4) Support product stewardship programmes aimed at the reduction of waste. (5) Advocate for and encourage the reuse of materials, particularly in industry. Territorial authorities: Should: (6) Set out objectives and policies, and may include methods in district plans specifically seeking to reduce the potential waste generated as a result of the use of land. (7) Take into account the 5Rs hierarchy when considering waste management options and plans (including, but not limited to district plans) for their districts. Local authorities: Will: (8) Engage with Ngāi Tahu as tāngata whenua and use iwi management plans to assist in informing them of Ngāi Tahu values associated with the management of waste, and of methods to avoid conflict with particular values in the application of the 5Rs principles. Policy Reduce waste at the source Promote a change in behaviour that will result in the reduction of waste at the source. This policy implements the following objectives: Objective , Objective Methods: The Canterbury Regional Council: Should: (1) Develop public education initiatives throughout Canterbury that endorse the 5Rs, with particular focus on reduction of waste through consumer choice. (2) Advocate for stronger national guidance and incentive for reducing waste, particularly at the manufacture/ production/import stage. Policy Integrated management of waste Promote an integrated approach to waste management in the region. This policy implements the following objective: Objective Methods: The Canterbury Regional Council: Should: (1) Support territorial authorities to maintain an integrated approach to management of waste in the region. (2) Advocate, to, and cooperate and coordinate, with territorial authorities, central government, Ngāi Tahu and industry, to achieve an integrated approach to the management of waste. Policy Establish community waste transfer facilities Enable the establishment and use of appropriate community facilities and services such as waste-transfer facilities and recycling centres throughout the region. This policy implements the following objective: Objective Methods: The Canterbury Regional Council: Should: (1) Encourage the use of community waste-transfer facilities and recycling centres through education and, where appropriate, enforcement action. (2) Support 9

12 Government and industry-led product stewardship programmes Territorial authorities: Will: (3) Set out objectives and policies, and may include methods in district plans to enable the establishment of waste transfer facilities in appropriate locations. Should: (4) Encourage and promote the use of community waste transfer facilities. 1.6 Key Relationships ADC s responsibility for waste management activity in the district includes setting policy, defining service standards and ensuring the required outcomes are achieved as efficiently as possible. In providing the rubbish and recycling services the Council works with a number of key business partners including Transwaste Canterbury and other contractors, consultants, specialist service providers and community sector organisations. The Ministry of Health has statutory responsibility for public health issues in New Zealand including health related aspects of waste management services. Council is required to consult with the Medical Officer of Health over the content of the Waste Assessment. Environment Canterbury has an environmental regulatory and monitoring role under the Resource Management Act that includes the management of resource consents issued for the discharge of contaminates (e.g. odours, leachate, dust, etc.). The Canterbury Waste Sub-committee was established in 1996 to develop a management framework for solid waste, including waste minimisation and options for regional disposal. In 2006 the sub-committee was replaced by the Canterbury Waste Joint Committee which comprises all territorial authorities located in Canterbury (except Waitaki) plus Environment Canterbury. Advancing regional waste minimisation is the aim of the committee, and actions initiated by the committee are over and above what each authority achieves on its own. All member councils contribute funding towards regional projects. In respect of waste management, the MfE is responsible for coordinating and providing guidance on implementation of the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 including product stewardship, application of the waste disposal levy, funding from the waste minimisation fund and guiding and monitoring local authorities in terms of meeting their responsibilities under the Waste Minimisation Act Available Documentation The following documents have provided useful background information and are referenced throughout this waste assessment: Council Solid Waste Activity Management Plan 2015 Council Draft 10 Year Plan Council Draft Annual Report 2013/14 Council Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2011 Council Waste Assessment 2011 Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

13 Ashburton SWAP Audit Report 2012 and Ashburton District This section presents a brief overview of key aspects of the district s geography, economy, and demographics that influence the quantities and types of waste generated and potential opportunities. 2.1 Key Statistics Table 1: Key Statistics for Ashburton Population 31,041 Population trends Size Dwellings Mean annual earnings Home ownership Post-school Qualifications Population growth averaged 1.5% per annum over last ten years. Peak of 2.4% growth in ,187 square kilometres 12,396 occupied dwellings and 1,248 unoccupied dwellings $45,410 (national average $51,550) % (54.5% nationally) 30.2% of population (39.9% nationally) Data from: Census 2013 and Census pe=ta&parentid= &tab=income&id= , Demographics Ashburton (Kapuka), as the District s principal settlement, accounts for almost 60% of the population or 19,340 persons by The only other settlements having a predominantly residential, rather than semi-rural character are Methven and Rakaia (approximately 1,810 and 1,260 residents respectively). Statistics New Zealand estimate that the population of Ashburton District could rise to 37,700 by 2031 based on their High projection. 4 The Ashburton District Council long term projection indicates that the population will be 36,000 in In 2013 the average household size was 2.5 persons per household. According to the Ashburton District Plan (2006) the average household size is expected to continue to decrease to between 2.1 and 2.2 persons per household by One-person Solid Waste Activity Management Plan

14 households are projected to rise and to represent an increasing proportion of all households. Over the next years, under the high growth scenario the median age (half are younger, and half older, than this age) of residents of the District is expected to increase from 40.7 years (in 2013) to 44 years in For New Zealand as a whole, the median age is 35.9 years. The relatively old population is confirmed by the fact that 18 percent of people in Ashburton District are aged 65 years and over, compared with 13.8 percent of the total New Zealand population. 6 By 2031 it is projected that 26.1 percent of the population of Ashburton will be over 65 years old. Figure 1: Proportion of population by five-year age group Ashburton District Economy GDP in Ashburton increased by 3.3% in the year to December 2014 compared to the previous 12 months. 11 Over the period GDP in Ashburton grew by an average of 4% per annum. Agriculture underpins Ashburton district s local economy. The district accounts for over 43% of all arable farm production in New Zealand. 8 The agricultural sector is complemented by a significant food processing sector. 6 Infometrics Ashburton Annual Economic Profile Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

15 Figure 2: Gross Domestic Product annual average % change 11 Agriculture, fishing and forestry was the largest industry sector in Ashburton in 2011 accounting for 28.5% of total GDP, followed by manufacturing (15.6%) and construction (6.5%). 6 Agriculture, fishing and forestry was also the largest employer in Ashburton in 2013 accounting for 24.9% of total employment, followed by manufacturing (16.9%) and wholesale and retail trade (13.7%). 6 Figure 3 shows the relatively important role of the primary and secondary sectors in the Ashburton economy. Figure 3: Employment by broad sector (2013) 6 Over the past 5 years (April 2008 April 2013) the total area of dairy farms in the district increased by 62%. 8 The number of dairy cows in Ashburton has doubled between 2007 and 2014 according to data from the Livestock Improvement Corporation. 9 Figure 4: Number of dairy cows in Ashburton District

16 Ashburton Dairy (total cows) Ashburton is the retail and commercial hub of the district, while Methven and Rakaia both have retail and commercial businesses servicing the local urban and rural communities. Annual retail spending in Ashburton was $386 million in the year to September Since then the level of spending has remained similar; with the latest data showing retail spending in Ashburton of $100 million in the quarter to December Ashburton district has 7 hotels, 14 motels, 12 backpackers and 5 holiday parks. 10 The District's main tourism attractions are the Mount Hutt ski field in winter and the scenic attractions of the foothills and high country areas throughout the year. Visitor numbers in 2014 equated to 215,689 guest nights in Ashburton district. 11 The 10year average is 204,954 guest nights ( ). The construction sector has been strong in recent years although indications are that activity levels are returning to normal. There were nearly 250 consents issued for new dwellings in 2012, which is well above the 10-year average of about 200. Figure 5: Residential consents in Ashburton District (quarterly number) Commercial Accommodation Monitor: April 2015 Canterbury 11 Quarterly economic monitor Ashburton December 2014, Infometrics Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

17 Non-residential construction has also experienced a boom in the total value of consents peaking at $75 million in the year to December Figure 6: Non-residential consents in Ashburton District ($m annual running total) Implications of Economic and Demographic Trends The steady growth in population and economic activity in the District is likely to lead to increased waste generation. Household waste generation is linked to retail spending and population; both of these metrics are growing although the impact is not expected to be dramatic. The aging population and lower number of people living in each household are long term trends which are common in many parts of New Zealand. These trends are likely to result in lower waste being generated per household although higher waste generation per capita, as smaller households typically generate more waste per capita than larger households. The rapid increase in dairy farming and intensification are likely to result in increased economic activity and also waste generation. It is not known how long the trend for dairy herd increases can be sustained, and recent declines in international commodity prices may restrict this growth at least in the immediate future. The construction sector is relatively waste intensive. Therefore the high level of activity in the construction sector for both residential and non-residential buildings is likely to have led to increased amounts of waste being generated. The most recent data indicates that the level of construction activity has returned back to the level of the 10-year average. Projections for the amount of construction in the future are not available. Other sectors of the economy such as tourism are not anticipated to grow significantly and will have a limited impact on waste generation rates. 3.0 Overview of Waste Management in the District Under the current Waste Management Plan (adopted in 2011) ADC has a vision of working towards zero waste. 15

18 There are no landfills that accept municipal solid waste in Ashburton district. All waste from the district (with the exception of cleanfill and biosolids) is aggregated at the Council-owned Ashburton Resource Recovery Park and bulk-hauled to the Kate Valley regional landfill, in Hurunui District. With the exception of special wastes, only waste from transfer stations is permitted to be disposed of at the landfill. Ashburton District Council operates two Resource Recovery Parks (RRPs) in the District that are open to the public in Ashburton and Rakaia. The RRPs accept and process a wide range of recyclable goods and consolidate residual refuse for transfer to landfill. A greenwaste and inorganic material drop-off facility is also provided in Methven. There are 10 Satellite Drop-Off Sites that service a number of the smaller rural villages around the district. These sites receive household recyclables which are then transported into the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park. This network was highlighted for expansion in the current WMMP and this has been planned for within the current Activity Management Plan (2015). Ashburton District is, to a relatively high degree, a self-contained waste catchment. That is, a high proportion of the waste that is generated within the district is disposed of within the district (at Ashburton RRP) and only a small amount of the waste disposed of within the district is generated outside of the district. Waste services in the district are provided by a mix of private sector, community and council service providers. 3.1 Council Ashburton District Council provides a kerbside refuse collection service to properties in Ashburton, Methven, Rakaia, Hinds, Mayfield, and Mt Somers. As of 1 July 2015 the village of Chertsey has been included in the serviced area. Serviced properties represent approximately 65% of residential properties in the district. The refuse collection is a user-pays service, and only pre-paid official bags are collected. Council contracts the collection service to Mainly Waste Ltd (formerly Prestons). Pre-paid bags may also be disposed of at the Ashburton and Rakaia Resource Recovery Parks free of charge. Council also provides a kerbside recycling collection in the same areas serviced by the refuse collection. Each property is provided with one 45-litre green crate for recyclable materials. Additional crates can also be purchased and there is no limit to the number of crates that a residential property can own. The Council intend to introduce a revised kerbside collection service in July The proposed system is as follows: Rubbish collected weekly (80 litre wheelie bin) Recycling collected fortnightly (240 litre wheelie bin for paper, plastics, cans and 45 litre crate for glass) Ashburton central business district - twice weekly collection of rubbish and weekly collection of recycling Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

19 Rubbish bags available for purchase. These will not be collected at the kerbside but can be deposited at a resource recovery park free of charge As well as the kerbside collection services the Council provides the following: Litter and illegal dumping collection Operation of the Ashburton and Rakaia Resource Recovery Parks Operation of the greenwaste and inorganic material drop-off facility in Methven Rural recycling drop-off Management of the district s closed landfills Communication, advocacy, education and enforcement Waste management planning and reporting 3.2 Private Sector Services provided by the private sector include the following: Weekly collections of household waste (user pays wheeled bins) Skip bin collection services Garden waste collections Collections of commercial and industrial waste Collections of C&D waste Commercial recycling collections Disposable nappy collection Medical waste collections 3.3 Community Services provided by the community sector include the following: Resale and repair of furniture, clothes, bikes etc. Sorting of recyclables at Rakaia Farm waste collection service offered by Wastebusters Education and promotion of waste minimisation Further detail on the services provided is presented in the following sections. 4.0 Waste Infrastructure This section provides a summary of key strategic waste facilities that currently service households and businesses in Ashburton District. Figure 7: Map of key waste and recovery facilities in district 17

20 4.1.1 Landfill Disposal Facilities The District s residual waste is disposed of in the Kate Valley Landfill in the Waipara area of Hurunui District. The landfill facility is scheduled to close in The landfill facility and transportation of waste to the facility is operated by Transwaste Canterbury Ltd. The Ashburton District Council is a shareholder (3%) in Transwaste Canterbury Ltd, a joint venture company with four other Canterbury Councils (47% shareholding), and Canterbury Waste Services Ltd (50% shareholding). Canterbury Waste Services is 100% owned by Waste Management NZ Ltd. Gate fees at the landfill cost the Council $1,086,923 with an additional $457,491 spent on transportation in Under the operating agreement the Council gets back what's called a transportation equalisation payment each year. That amounted to a $144,000 refund for the Council in 2014 ($127,000 in 2013). ADC's dividend was $320,000 in 2014 ($207,000 in 2013). Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

21 The other landfill in the region, Redruth Landfill in Timaru, does not accept waste from Ashburton Closed Landfills Ashburton, Methven, Rakaia, Hinds and Mayfield landfills are closed. Resource consents have been obtained for all of these and all are subject to ongoing monitoring and aftercare in accordance with consent conditions and Post Closure Management Plans Cleanfills The Ashburton District Plan 12 defines cleanfill: includes any natural material which is free of: combustible, putrescible, degradable or leachable components or materials likely to create leachate by means of biological breakdown; hazardous substances or any products or materials derived from hazardous waste treatment, stabilisation or disposal practices; contaminated soil or other contaminated materials; medical or veterinary waste; asbestos or radioactive substances. It includes (but is not limited to) clay, rock, concrete and bricks This definition is very similar to, but not exactly the same as, the Ministry for the Environment s Cleanfill Guidelines which also exclude liquid waste. 13 The District Plan has defined various Permitted Activities including: Deposition of clean fill, not including deposition of any demolition material; limited to: the Rural A and B zones, and a maximum of 200m³ on any one site per annum. For some types of waste, cleanfills are competing directly with landfills. However, cleanfills are much less costly than landfills to establish and require much lower levels of engineering investment to prevent discharges into the environment. Cleanfills also have much lower compliance costs than landfills. Because of these differing cost structures, cleanfills charge markedly less for disposal than landfills. In Christchurch charges for depositing cleanfill materials currently average approximately $7 per tonne. 14 Currently the MfE is working with WasteMINZ to develop new Technical Guidelines for Disposal to Land. These guidelines will set out new standards for disposal of waste to land and if ECan implement the new guidelines then there will be significant changes to the operation of cleanfill sites in the region, including tighter controls. 12 OPERATIVE DISTRICT PLAN August Ministry for the Environment (2002) A Guide to the Management of Cleanfill s. 14 Twelfth Knight Consulting (2014), Quarry Rehabilitation: Background Report prepared for Christchurch City Council District Plan Review 19

22 The currently consented fill sites in the District are listed in Table 2. Table 2: Cleanfill facilities Name/Operator Consent Number Location Ashburton District Council (Leased to Ashburton Contracting Limited) Fulton Hogan Limited (Canterbury) Fulton Hogan Limited (Canterbury) Fulton Hogan Limited (Canterbury) Stuart Tarbotton Contractors Limited Ashburton District Council Fulton Hogan Limited (Canterbury) Ashburton District Council (Leased to Greg Donaldson Contracting Limited) Greg Donaldson Contracting Limited Ashburton District Council (Leased to Rooney Earthmoving Limited) Ashburton District Council Ashburton District Council Ashburton District Council Ashburton District Council (Leased to Rooney Earthmoving Limited) Ashburton District Council Ashburton District Council CRC CRC CRC CRC CRC CRC & CRC CRC CRC CRC Designated in the ADC District Plan Designated in the ADC District Plan Designated in the ADC District Plan Designated in the ADC District Plan Designated in the ADC District Plan Designated in the ADC District Plan Designated in the Cochranes Road, ASHBURTON Corner Company & Glassworks Road, ASHBURTON Frasers Road, ASHBURTON Winslow Westerfield Road, ASHBURTON Frasers Road, TINWALD Vaughans Road, METHVEN Corner Maronan Road & Lills Road, TINWALD Corner Winslow Road & Lovetts Road, ASHBURTON Corner Winchmore Dromore Road & Methven Highway, ASHBURTON Rapid 934 Thompsons Track, HATFIELD Rapid 660 Winchmore Lauriston Road, WINCHMORE Rapid 634 Maronan Road, TINWALD Rapid 2860 Thompsons Track, BRAEMAR Rapid 2001 Mitcham Road, SOMERTON Corner Wakanui Township & Buttericks Road, WAKANUI Rapid 1942 Ashburton Staveley Road, Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

23 ADC District Plan ASHBURTON FORKS Ashburton District Council Ashburton District Council Designated in the ADC District Plan CRC Designated in the ADC District Plan Rapid 1037 Rakaia Highway, SH1, DROMORE Corner Grahams & Tanseys Road, WATERTON The consent conditions for each of these sites are different. For example the range of materials which can be disposed of at each site is different, of the ECan consented sites only six of the sites are required to keep a record of material deposited at the site. All of the Ashburton District owned sites designated as cleanfills under the District Plan are managed under the Ashburton District Council Cleanfill Management Policy. It is a re requirement of the policy that each load is recorded including: The date The vehicle ID Operating company Drivers name Type of material Source of material Quantity (cubic metres) All of the Council designated sites are Council controlled sites. These sites only take materials from Council roading or utilities infrastructure projects. They are not open for public use Assessment of Residual Waste Disposal Infrastructure The Kate Valley Landfill is a modern facility and provides a long term waste disposal option for ADC. The Council is committed to the regional landfill as providing the best means of providing a state of the art landfill facility for solid waste disposal. There are 9 sites in the district which are consented by ECan to dispose of solid waste to land. These sites are all located near Ashburton town, apart from the Council s site near Methven. 4.2 Resource Recovery Parks Council owned Resource Recovery Parks (RRPs) are located in Ashburton and Rakaia. The Ashburton RRP is operated under contract to Council. At the Rakaia RRP recyclable resources, except glass, are processed and managed by the Rakaia Community Association volunteers and general operation of the facility is carried out 21

24 under contract to Council. Under current contracts all resources deposited at the Ashburton RRP become the property of the operator. At the Rakaia RRP, the resources except glass become the property of the Rakaia Community Association. Activities at the Ashburton RRP comprise: Drop-off for all re-usable items and recyclable resources Re-use retail outlet for all collected reusable items (excludes electrical goods) Sorting, baling and sale of recyclable resources collected from the kerbside collection, drop-off facilities, or dropped off at the RRP Collection of electronic waste including computers, monitors, keyboards, printers and televisions Green waste drop-off Green waste composting (including green waste from Methven), and sale of product Drop-off, sorting and sale of construction and demolition waste, including concrete/brick crushing for aggregate, composting of clean plasterboard, steel recovery for recycling and sale of re-usable items Collection of waste oil Education services and school programme Residual waste collection and transfer to Kate Valley Landfill Domestic hazardous waste drop-off for small amounts of household hazardous waste. The contractor is incentivised to recover resources from the residual waste and is paid monthly for tonnages recovered from the residual waste stream. Activities at the Rakaia RRP comprise: Drop-off for re-usable items and recyclable resources Sorting, baling and sale of recyclable resources collected from the kerbside collection, or dropped off at the RRP Green waste drop-off, composting and sale of product Refuse drop-off for transfer to Ashburton RRP. Table 3 shows the opening hours for the RRPs. Table 3: Resource recovery parks opening hours Ashburton Rakaia Monday 8.00am pm 10.00am pm Tuesday 8.00am pm CLOSED Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

25 Wednesday 8.00am pm 3.30pm pm Thursday 8.00am pm CLOSED Friday 8.00am pm 2.00pm pm Saturday 9.00am pm 9.00am 3.00pm Sunday 1.00pm pm CLOSED The materials accepted, and associated charges, are shown in Table 4. Table 4: Charges Material Ashburton Methven Rakaia Minimum charge (up to 80kg) $8.20 $8.20 Green waste $95.10 per tonne $25.60 per m 3 $25.60 per m 3 Residual waste $ per tonne $83.50 per m 3 Inorganic waste $55.20 per m 3 E-waste CRT monitors E-waste flat screen monitors $10.00 $10.00 $6.00 $6.00 E-waste televisions $15.00 $15.00 Car body - each $59.30 $59.30 Clean and sorted concrete waste and demolition waste - per tonne $ $ Tyres - each $5.10 $5.10 Council provides self-serve rural recycling drop-off facility sites in the district. These are located at: Willowby - Longbeach Road (beside the school) Mt Somers - Hoods Road (behind Mt Somers Tavern) Mayfield - Arundel Rakaia Gorge Road (beside Mayfield Tavern) Staveley Boyds Road (behind the Hall) Hinds James Street (behind Hinds Tavern) Rangitata Huts - Wrens Road 23

26 Haketere Huts - River Road Pendarves - Chertsey Kyle Road South Rakaia Huts. In Ashburton there is also the Wastebusters Recycling Centre and Reuse Shop. Wastebusters operates as an independent self-funded trust and was established in 1994 with the goal of diverting waste from the landfill. The recycling centre activities include: Drop-off for all re-usable items and recyclable resources Re-use retail outlet for all collected reusable items Sorting, baling and sale of recyclable resources collected from commercial collections or dropped off at the recycling centre Green waste drop-off Collection of waste oil Base for education services in schools Residual waste collection and transfer to ARRP Assessment of Resource Recovery Park Infrastructure and Operation The Council owned RRPs are relatively large sites which have good infrastructure for collecting and separating waste brought to the sites. The Wastebusters site results in duplication of infrastructure. Whilst this is good for competition it is not particularly efficient. The rural recycling drop-off sites are provided for rural residents and visitors. The coverage is currently limited however the number of sites is planned to expand over the coming years. A summary of the valuation of ADC s solid waste assets is presented in Table 5. Table 5: Replacement value of assets (July 2014 valuation) 15 ASSET TYPE ODRC 1 July 2014 Annual Depreciation 1 July 2014 Rakaia Resource Recovery Park $412,740 $20,714 Ashburton Resource Recovery Park $1,600,488 $65,282 Methven Recycling drop-off area $118,693 $4,051 Mayfield Recycling drop-off area $2,031 $459 Hinds Recycling drop-off area $846 $212 Recycling $40,335 $1,864 Ashburton and Tinwald Litter Bins $47,788 $18,305 Mayfield Litter Bins $1,637 $218 Methven Litter Bins $14,654 $5,429 Rakaia Litter Bins $7,472 $1, Draft 2015 Solid Waste Activity Management Plan Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

27 Rakaia Huts Litter Bins - - Hinds Litter Bins $1,627 $875 Mt Somers Litter Bins $4,203 $948 $2,252,514 $120, Recycling and Reprocessing Facilities Waste processing and recycling facilities that handle materials collected in Ashburton District are listed in the table below. Table 6: Details of facilities Owner Type Key services/waste streams Location Ashburton District Council Resource Recovery Park Sorting of cardboard, paper, plastics and tins Glass bottles and jars sorted into clear, brown and green colours Rakaia Ashburton District Council Resource Recovery Park Baling of cardboard, paper, plastics and tins Glass bottles and jars sorted into clear, brown and green colours 25 Range Street Ashburton Greenwaste composting and sales Clean C&D waste sorting and crushing Reusable goods retail ChemWaste Collection, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste Hazardous waste Dangerous goods Waste oils 10 Barton Street, Woolston Christchurch Enviropaints Collector/Recy cling of paints Waste paints 14 Riverbank Road Otaki 25

28 Waste Management Technical Services Collection, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste Paints, Solvents, Household Chemicals, Pool chemicals Waste oils 88 Francella Street Bromley Christchurch Agrichemicals L1, L2 Agrichemicals (intractable off shore disposal) Batteries Agrecovery (3R Group) Stewardship Scheme dropoff sites Agrichemical container collection Molloy Agricultural Spraying Ltd 402 Methven Chertsey Road Methven Sims Pacific Metals Kilmarnock Enterprises Scrap Tyre Movements Scrap metal dealer E-waste processing Tyre processing facility Metals collection and resale Social enterprise offering vocational services including e-waste dismantling Scrap tyres OI Glass Glass recycler Glass bottles and jars reprocessing Envirocomp In-vessel composting Disposable nappies and sanitary hygiene waste 48 Wickham Street, Bromley Christchurch 32 Riccarton Road, Riccarton Christchurch 96 Walkers Road Christchurch 752 Great South Road, Penrose Auckland High Street, Rangiora Assessment of Recycling and Reprocessing Facilities Apart from some processing of construction and demolition (C&D) waste and greenwaste composting at the ARRP the majority of recycling and reprocessing of materials occurs outside the district. The relative proximity of Christchurch means that there is a good selection of recycling facilities accessible to the District. However within the district there are no food waste processing facilities apart from a small vermicomposting operation for the site waste from the Ashburton Meat Processing plant. Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

29 Apart from the sorting line at Rakaia there are no material recovery facilities (MRF) facilities in the district either for commingled recyclables or for C&D or industrial/ commercial/institutional (ICI) waste. The commingled recyclable MRFs in Timaru and Christchurch apparently have sufficient capacity to take materials from Ashburton for sorting. 5.0 Waste Services 5.1 Council Waste Services Council-contracted Collection Services Council currently outsources all of the Solid Waste operational services it is involved with. The kerbside services have been reviewed throughout 2014 with the view to changing to a new form of service when the kerbside contracts expire. At the December 7th 2014 Council meeting, Council resolved to opt for a wheelie bin system with a start date of 01 July The current scope of services provided is outlined below Kerbside Collection of Refuse The Council provides a weekly residual waste collection in official Ashburton District Council branded prepaid bags in the urban areas of Ashburton, Methven, Rakaia, Hinds, Mayfield, and Mt Somers. The residual waste is transported to the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park and compacted into special freight containers for transport and disposal to the Canterbury Regional Landfill at Kate Valley in Hurunui District. The kerbside refuse collection can be used by commercial properties in Ashburton, Methven, and Rakaia. Only domestic quantities of waste are collected and they must use the official prepaid bags to place the refuse out for collection Kerbside Recycling Collection The bins for the kerbside recyclable collection services are a 45 litre green plastic bin purpose made for this activity, and marked with the Ashburton District Council logo. Each property, within the serviced area, has been provided with one bin free of charge for collecting recyclable materials. Generally most properties will only have one bin, additional bins cost $15. Residential properties and schools have no limit to the number of bins they use. Commercial properties may use up to 4 additional bins (to make a maximum of 5 bins) but may not exceed 5 bins. A schedule of schools using more than 5 bins is as follows: Allenton School Ashburton Intermediate Borough School Hampstead School 27

30 Hinds School Netherby School Rakaia School St Joseph s School Tinwald School The recycling collection is sorted by hand at the kerbside into the various classes of recyclable materials. Recyclable resources are taken to the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park for further processing. In Rakaia recyclable resources are collected weekly at the kerbside using an official blue recycling bag ($0.60 each), and transported to the Rakaia Resource Recovery Park for sorting by volunteers. The kerbside recycling collection extends to industrial and commercial properties in Ashburton, Methven and Rakaia. Table 7: Kerbside collection tonnage Year Rubbish (tonnes) Recycle (tonnes) Total (tonnes) Recycled as % of total 2011/ % 2012/ % 2013/ % The collection schedule is shown in Table 8. Table 8: Collection schedule Day Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Area Methven, Mt Somers, Mayfield, Hinds, and Tinwald East Ashburton, Ashburton CBD Ashburton and Tinwald West Ashburton Friday Rakaia, Ashburton CBD and Chertsey (as of 1 July 2015) Other Council Services In addition to the services described above, there are other programs or services provide by the Council. Litter bins are provided in townships around the District - there are approximately 228 street litter bins throughout the District. Rural recycling drop-off points (see section 4.2) Subsidising nappy composting service Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

31 Illegal dumped material is removed from around the district by Harnett Contracting. 5.4 tonnes of material was collected in the year Road sweeping and catchpit cleaning. ADC road sweeping and catchpit cleaning is undertaken under contract by Fulton Hogan. The sweepings and debris are dumped at their William Street Depot. The inorganic rubbish, plastics etc. is separated out and disposed of at the ARRP. The remaining material e.g. sweepings of gravel, sand, soil and leaves is disposed of in a consented pit they have on site. The composition or contamination of this material is unknown Solid Waste Bylaw Council s bylaw relating to solid waste was adopted in June 2012 as part of a larger bylaw document that covered a wide range of Council functions. The purpose of the solid waste bylaw is to ensure that refuse is collected and disposed of in the interests of public health and safety, to ensure the minimal obstruction of streets and to provide for the efficient collection and recovery of recyclable waste. Each key section of the bylaw is discussed below in more detail. This is followed by discussion of powers that could be added to the bylaw in any future review Interpretation Most of the definitions for the Solid Waste chapter are fairly standard. There are some inclusions that are worth noting. These include: Commercial Refuse: the definition does not specifically exclude diverted materials (as defined in the WMA). The use of the term refuse rather than waste does suggest that this definition is intended to include material that is collected for the purpose of diversion, but this may be open to challenge. Recyclables: the bylaw defines recyclables, therefore suggesting that these are a waste stream other than waste or diverted materials. Waste Management Facility: this includes facilities that process recyclables. The WMA definitions of waste and diverted materials are not included. The current definition of recyclables covers most dry recyclables, typically collected in a kerbside collection or at a recycling centre. However the definition does state that Council has the ability to approve items at any time as recyclables, and so it seems likely that if the Council were ever to introduce an organic waste collection of any kind, these waste streams could be added to the list of recyclables. This would result in the Council being able to extend the powers set out in other parts of the bylaw over organic waste, and also ensures that composting or other organic waste processing facilities are captured by the definition of a waste management facility. This addition would not require a review of the bylaw itself Refuse Collection 29

32 This section enables the Council to adopt or review a policy relating to refuse collection, which includes the collection of refuse and recyclables. As stated earlier, the definition of recyclables can be easily amended by Council. Therefore this section gives the Council wide powers to control collection of refuse, plus any type of other material that they choose to define as recyclables Restrictions on Refuse Collection Operations This section prevents any collection from taking place using public property unless consent is given by Council, along with any conditions that the Council chooses to impose. There is no information provided here, or in the accompanying policy, as to what criteria the Council would use to decide whether they would give consent. There is also no detail provided as to what conditions the Council may choose to impose. These points could be easily addressed during a review of the accompanying policy Omissions Currently Ashburton District Council has no legal levers to require the capture of waste data from private waste operators. Waste data from the private operators would be valuable in future planning and essential if Council wishes to know with certainty how waste outside of council controlled waste streams is being managed. It may be that the Council could use the powers discussed in section above to implement a de-facto licensing system including data collection. However this would only cover collections from public property. Opinions vary as to whether Councils can license waste and/or diverted material collectors that operate on private property. Opinions also vary as to whether a licensing system can include diverted materials as well as waste. In this instance, the definitions already included in the bylaw could be used thus avoiding the question of diverted materials altogether. This would mean that the Council would have to define every type of recyclable that they wish to have covered by a licensing system. Gaining access to data relating to non-council controlled waste streams can be important when preparing a well-informed Waste Assessment. Each Council needs to consider what their needs are for data that could be collected using a licensing system. Council should also consider the current national waste data project 16, and any future provision for data collection should be consistent with this. One option that should be considered is taking a regional approach to licensing with specific requirements of the participating local authorities being accounted for Waste Education and Minimisation Programmes Council has contracted out education services in relation to solid waste management and minimisation. The education services provided comprise: 16 Refer to: Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

33 Operating the education centre at the ARRP Working with schools Working with community groups Working with businesses Displays at shows or events Telephone helpline Press releases each month on waste issues. An Education Centre is located at the ARRP adjacent to the re-use shop. The centre is open to the public, it features static displays and regularly hosts public education sessions. The educational programme is largely funded through money received from the Waste Levy. Wastebusters also play an active role promoting and educating the community about waste minimisation and recycling Funding for Council Services ADC has several funding options to assist in the implementation of the Plan to achieve effective and efficient minimisation and management of waste in the District. The current options used in various measures follow: General Council funding from revenue received by ADC Uniform Annual Charge a charge that is paid by all ratepayers User pays the polluter pays the full cost Targeted rates a charge according to the property and not the service provided Waste levy - This is collected under the WMA and is partially refunded to Council based on the Ashburton District population numbers as a proportion of the total population of New Zealand. These funds must be used for waste minimisation activities and initiatives under Section 32 of the WMA. Waste levy funds also include any funds received from a successful application to the Waste Minimisation Fund. Further information on the project costs and funding will be made available in the Action Plan of the WMMP, and the Council s Annual Plan and Long Term Plan. 17 Figure 8: LTP operating income for solid waste Part Four Council Activities Rubbish and Recycling Long Term Plan

34 Solid waste income is projected to rise in the future with the largest proportion of this increase coming from an increase in targeted rates particularly from 2017/18. A decrease in other revenue will partially offset the increase. Table 9: Funding policy for services 18 Service Solid waste management: Council operates resource recovery parks at Ashburton and Rakaia, and satellite recycling facilities in smaller towns throughout the district Solid waste collection: Council provides kerbside collection of rubbish and recyclable materials in Ashburton, Methven, Rakaia, Hinds, Mayfield and Mt Somers. Council also provides collection and disposal of solid waste from litter bins. Solid Waste Management: Funding Operational Expenditure: - Fees and Charges 60% - Capital Value General Rate 40% Capital Expenditure: In general, capital expenditure is loan funded. This analysis relates to the interest and principal repayments required. Operational Expenditure: - Fees and Charges 50% - Targeted Uniform Annual Charge 40% - Capital Value Targeted Rate 10% Capital Expenditure: In general, capital expenditure is loan funded. This analysis relates to the interest and principal repayments required. 18 Ashburton District Council Revenue & Financing Policy Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

35 Fees and Charges (60%) Solid waste management and disposal has a considerable private benefit in providing a convenient place to recycle or dispose of unwanted refuse. This benefit is assessed as high at 60% and is recovered through user pays fees and charges. Capital Value General Rate (40%) District wide benefit accrues to the community through knowing that refuse is being managed in a coordinated, safe and environmentally acceptable way. This benefit is assessed as medium and set and is recovered through a Capital Value General Rate. Capital Value is used for the funding mechanism because the benefit relates to the community as a whole and is deemed to have a property related benefit. Solid Waste Collection: Fees and Charges (50%) There is a private benefit to people receiving a solid waste and recycling collection service. There is a clear case for the user pays principle to be applied. This benefit of kerbside collection is assessed as being high and is recovered through rubbish bag sales. Targeted Uniform Annual Charge (40%) The recycling service costs will be allocated to each town on a group basis (with each property within the group paying a uniform charge) according to the costs of providing the service in each respective town irrespective of the amount of recyclable material collected. Capital Value Targeted Rate (10%) The litter bin service will be paid for through a Capital Value Targeted Rate on CBD/ Commercial ratepayers in Ashburton, and Commercial/ Industrial ratepayers in Methven and Rakaia as it is considered that businesses benefit from the provision of this service Assessment of Council Services Resident and Ratepayer Feedback on Council Waste Services The Communitrak Survey found the following: Resident satisfaction with the provision of resource recovery parks and recycling drop off facilities in Ashburton District has increased slightly over the last five years. Overall satisfaction of residents surveyed increased from 92% in 2013 to 94% this year. There has also been an increase in the level of satisfaction of service users to 95% in 2014 from 94% in Table 10: Resident satisfaction with facilities 19 Annual Survey of Residents Summary Report 33

36 Resident satisfaction- the provision of resource recovery parks and recycling drop off facilities Service users satisfied with the provision of resource recovery parks and recycling drop off facilities Very satisfied 49% 51% Fairly satisfied 45% 44% Not satisfied 6% 5% Resident satisfaction with the rubbish collection service in Ashburton District has decreased over the last five years. Overall satisfaction of residents surveyed increased from 75% in 2013 to 76% this year. There was a decrease in the level of satisfaction of service users to 76% in 2014 from 78% in Overall resident satisfaction with Council s recycling collection service has decreased over the last five years. The level of satisfaction of all residents surveyed increased from 70% in 2013 to 76% this year. There has also been an increase in the level of satisfaction of service users to 77% in 2014 from 73% in Table 11: Resident satisfaction with collection services Resident satisfactionrubbish collection Service users satisfied with rubbish collection Resident satisfaction- the recycling collection service Very satisfied 36% 37% 37% 38% Fairly satisfied 40% 39% 39% 39% Not satisfied 24% 24% 24% 23% Service users satisfied with the recycling collection service Assessment of Collection Services The waste collection service appears to be efficient and effective in the urban areas which it covers. Resident surveys show that there has been a small decline in satisfaction with the service over recent years. The geographical limitation of the service means that some residents who live outside the service area leave bags in the nearest street which is covered by the council service. The recycling collection service has limited capacity for materials due to the use of crates, householders are unlikely to buy an extra crate. The health and safety risks of the collection methods have not been assessed Assessment of Other Services Waste education in schools in the district is well established. There may be scope to develop educational programmes which target other key groups such as farmers, small businesses, new mothers or the retired. Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

37 Rural recycling drop-off points appear to be well managed and increase the options available for recycling in rural areas. In terms of tonnage the amount of material collected from the clearance of illegal dumping is relatively small. However increase monitoring of the location, frequency and type of materials which are dumped could help to develop a more effective enforcement regime. The tonnages collected from road sweeping and catchpit cleaning are unknown and the composition of the material collected is also unknown. The solid waste bylaw has a number of issues that have been discussed above. It is intended that the bylaw will be reviewed in the coming year. A proposal to licence private operators across the Canterbury Region could be put before the Canterbury Joint Waste Committee for their consideration. 5.2 Non-Council Services There are a number of non-council waste and recycling service providers operating in the district, the main operators are listed in Table 12. Table 12: Commercial waste service providers Service provider Regular Rubbish Removals WasteBusters Trust Canterbury Gary McCormick Transport Dial a Drum Waste Management EnviroWaste Direct Fats and Oils Interwaste Provision Private refuse bin collection Commercial waste and recyclables collection and rural waste and recycling collection Commercial waste and recyclables collection, garden waste collection Private refuse bin collection Range of services many of which are subcontracted to local providers Range of services including wheeled bin, front load bins, open top bins, compactors etc. Recovery and recycling of fats and cooking oils Medical waste collections, fluorescent lamp collection Assessment of Non-Council Services There is a good range of waste collection service providers in the Ashburton district. There is however little information available about the level of uptake of these collection services for example garden waste or commercial recycling services. There are no companies offering commercial food waste collection services. No information is available about the amount or types of hazardous waste that is being collected but is not passing through the ARRP. 35

38 6.0 Waste Data and Flows 6.1 Introduction This section focuses on waste that is generated within Ashburton District. Waste material brought in from outside the district is also included but is estimated to be a relatively small amount Definitions For local government planning purposes, the most important metrics relating to solid waste are the tonnage and composition of waste disposed of to landfill and the tonnage and composition of diverted materials. The WMA makes a clear distinction between these two types of waste materials; waste being defined as any thing that is disposed of or discarded, while diverted materials is defined as any thing that is no longer required for its original purpose and, but for commercial or other waste minimisation activities, would be disposed of or discarded. Measurements of waste disposed of to landfill are more readily compiled and more reliable than measurements of diverted materials. Waste to landfill is a well-defined, discrete material flow, handled by a relatively small number of operators with all material generally being weighed and recorded at a common point the landfill weighbridge. On the other hand, there is no general consensus on the boundaries of what constitutes a diverted material. Some materials, such as scrap metal and kraft cardboard collected for recycling, and centrally composted organic materials are widely accepted as being diverted materials, but for other materials, such as those handled by second-hand dealers, or diverted through home composting there is no such agreement. Compounding the difficulties of quantifying diverted materials is the large number of businesses operating in the industry (often undocumented) and the wide range of unrelated disposal pathways for the materials. The commercial sensitivity of quantitative information is another major complication, with many businesses in the industry being reluctant to voluntarily provide data. In relation to the objectives of the NZ Waste Strategy to reduce harm and increase resource efficiency, a third distinct waste stream is of importance cleanfill. Cleanfills are meant to provide a low-cost alternative to landfills for inert wastes that have no environmental impact when disposed of to land. However, as the Ministry for the Environment s 2002 guidelines for the management of cleanfills states:...over time the term cleanfill has been stretched and modified. Many cleanfills now mistakenly accept a multitude of construction and demolition waste, contaminated soils, green waste and many other materials that can result in an adverse effect on the environment. It is very difficult to gather data on waste material that is disposed of to cleanfills. Cleanfills that operate with resource consents are rarely required to report on the quantity of material that is disposed of. Unconsented cleanfills (both legal and illegal) present even greater difficulties with regards to data. Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

39 The quantity of material that is disposed of to cleanfills may be greater than the amount going to landfill, but few councils have any data on the quantity or composition. As well as these formal disposal pathways, waste can be disposed of through more informal pathways, including illegal dumping and, particularly in rural areas, on-site burning and burial. As a result of these factors, this summary of waste data and waste flows will provide data with varying degrees of accuracy and certainty. Data on diverted materials will be limited to commodities (i.e. paper, kraft, glass, plastic and metal containers) and composted organic materials. Data on cleanfills will be limited to approximate tonnages, with no information on composition being provided. A further complicating factor is the difficulty in obtaining reliable information on many waste flows. There is no standard way of identifying or recording waste data across the industry, and it often must be compiled from a range of sources with potential for overlaps, gaps, and inconsistent measures. In the following sections, waste is broken down into four types, and each type is discussed separately. These four types are: Landfilled waste. This covers all material sent to a disposal facility as defined under the WMA 2008 Recycled waste. This includes material that is recovered for beneficial use Composted waste. This covers organic material treated through composting or other biological processes to produce soil amendment type output for beneficial use Cleanfilled waste. This is inert material such as soil, rock, concrete, brick etc. It is predominantly excavation material from civil or construction works, that is deposited as backfill in quarries, or used as fill or contouring Council-controlled and Commercially-controlled Waste Flows Another important distinction that can be made when analysing waste flows for Council s waste management purposes is between Council-controlled and commercially-controlled waste flows. As waste moves from the generator to its final disposal, physical control of the material can pass between several different parties. For the purposes of this assessment, Council-controlled and commercially-controlled are defined as follows: Council-controlled waste materials are those of which possession is taken by Council or council contractors at any point between generation and final disposal (whether through landfilling or recovery). Commercially-controlled waste materials are those which are at no point between generation and final disposal taken possession of by Council or council contractors. 37

40 6.1.3 Waste Generation Sources in Ashburton District Key sources of waste are noted and defined in this subsection Household Waste This is all waste and recycling generated by households (excluding waste from residential construction and demolition) Construction & Demolition Construction and demolition waste is transported to disposal facilities in a number of ways. Small-scale builders, residents, and building trades people often transport construction waste to a disposal facility themselves, in trailers, vans, or utes. Largerscale operations usually contract waste operators to provide and service gantry or hook bins for the removal of waste from building sites. Demolition material is removed from sites by general transport operators using tip trucks, by specialist demolition contractors using their own vehicles, or in hook bins provided by waste operators. Inert material from construction and demolition projects can be separately disposed of at one of the cleanfills in the area where gate charges are lower than for waste to landfill Landscaping Landscaping waste is useful to identify as a separate stream as large quantities of garden type waste can arise from landscaping projects similar to Construction and Demolition projects. Landscaping waste is transported for disposal by residents, landscaping contractors, and greenwaste collection service providers Industrial/Commercial/Institutional Most trade waste generated by the commercial sector is removed by private waste operators or transported by the business itself. A wide range of collection systems are offered to meet the requirements of each business. Wheeled bins, front-loader bins, gantry skips, hook bins, and roll-on/roll-off hook bins are all available. This waste stream includes non-natural farm waste. 6.2 Overall Waste Flows from Ashburton District The quantities of landfilled waste and diverted materials were determined through analysis of Council records and information provided by private waste and recycling operators. The overall waste stream is broken down based on the four basic waste types described previously and presented in Table 13 and Figure 8 below. Table 13: Overall waste flows from Ashburton District Type of waste T/annum 2014 % of total Landfilled waste 10,243 T/annum 23% Recycled waste 6,490 T/annum 15% Composted waste 1,389 T/annum 3% Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

41 Cleanfilled waste and farm waste 26,000 T/annum 59% TOTAL 44,122 T/annum 100% Figure 9: Overall waste breakdown for Ashburton District Recycled waste 15 % Composted waste 3 % Cleanfilled waste 59 % Landfilled waste 23 % Council Control of Overall Waste Stream The proportion of waste over which the Council has direct control is important when planning waste minimisation services as different options are available to council to manage those waste streams over which it has direct control. Through the ARRP the Council has control over a significant proportion of the waste stream. Material which is disposed of in cleanfills or on farms is not controlled. Table 14: Rubbish and recycling from ARRP Year Rubbish (tonnes) Recycle (tonnes) Total (tonnes) Recycled as % of total 2011/ , % 2012/ , % 2013/14 10, , % The quantity of both material landfilled and recycled has increased notably between 2011/12 and 2013/14, with the recycling rate for Council-controlled wastes increasing from 33% to 39%. 6.3 Landfilled Waste Residual waste from ADC is disposed of at Kate Valley Landfill via the ARRP Composition of Landfilled Waste The waste audit involved a sort-and-weigh audit of the composition of kerbside refuse collected in the District (by both Council and private service providers) and a visual 39

42 survey of residual waste being disposed of at Ashburton and Rakaia Resource Recovery Parks (RRPs). The audit and survey took place in May The methodology for the audits was identical to that used by Waste Not Consulting for a similar project in October An analysis of the activity source of waste loads being disposed of at Ashburton RRP is given in Table 15; data is based on the waste audit and analysis of the weighbridge records. Materials that were disposed of at the separate drop-off points or separated from the pit waste by staff were not included in the composition survey. Table 15: Ashburton RRP activity source analysis - May 2015 Activity source % of loads in survey % of weight Tonnes per week Construction & demolition 22% 17% 35.9 Council kerbside collection 6% 19% 38.9 Industrial/commercial/institutional 33% 46% 95.5 Landscaping & earthworks 1% 0.2% 0.5 Private kerbside collections 5% 9% 18.4 Residential 34% 6% 12.2 Rakaia RRP 0% 2% 5.0 TOTAL 100% 100% The average amount of residual waste collected by the council kerbside collections in 2013/14 was 38 tonnes per week. The results of the audit are therefore thought to be a reasonable representation of a typical week. Table 16: Composition of landfilled waste Primary category % of total T/week T/annum Paper 11.3% 23 T/week 1,284 T/annum Plastics 17.5% 36 T/week 1,988 T/annum Organics 23.4% 48 T/week 2,662 T/annum Ferrous metals 3.7% 8 T/week 425 T/annum Non-ferrous metals 0.9% 2 T/week 101 T/annum Glass 3.6% 7 T/week 405 T/annum Textiles 8.7% 18 T/week 988 T/annum Sanitary paper 6.2% 13 T/week 710 T/annum Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

43 Rubble & concrete 7.7% 16 T/week 878 T/annum Timber 15.5% 32 T/week 1,760 T/annum Rubber 0.5% 1 T/week 58 T/annum Potentially hazardous 0.8% 2 T/week 95 T/annum TOTAL 100.0% 206 T/week 11,355 T/annum Organic material, which includes primarily food waste and greenwaste, is estimated to comprise the largest proportion of both the kerbside refuse and the overall waste stream to landfill. This is despite the fact that the audit took place after a period of bad weather which would have depressed the amount of greenwaste collected in the sample. Plastics were the second largest component of the overall waste stream, approximately two-thirds of the plastic was in ICI loads, of which the majority was plastic film. Timber was found to be the third most common item and is associated with the high level of construction activity in the district. Over half of construction and demolition waste was found to be timber. Construction and demolition waste as a portion of the waste going to landfill has increased from 9% in the 2012 audit to 17% in the 2015 audit. A variety of separation and processing methods are available for diverting waste from landfill disposal. While recovery is possible for virtually all waste materials, only those methods commonly in use in New Zealand and relevant to Ashburton are considered in this section. Table 17 shows the proportion and tonnages of the landfilled waste stream that could be diverted. Table 17: Diversion potential of overall waste stream Diversion potential of overall waste stream to landfill RECYCLABLE AND RECOVERABLE MATERIALS % of total T/week Paper - Recyclable 9.8% 20 T/week Plastics - Recyclable 1.8% 4 T/week Ferrous metals - All 3.7% 8 T/week Non-ferrous metals - All 0.9% 2 T/week Glass - Recyclable 2.5% 5 T/week Timber 15.3% 32 T/week Rubble - Cleanfill 1.7% 3 T/week Rubble - Plasterboard 2.6% 5 T/week Subtotal 38.3% 79 T/week 41

44 COMPOSTABLE MATERIALS Organics - Kitchen/food 16.7% 34 T/week Organics - Comp. Greenwaste 3.3% 7 T/week Organics - Multi/other 3.0% 6 T/week Subtotal 23.0% 47 T/week DIVERTABLE MATERIALS Recyclable + compostable 61.4% 127 T/week In total, approximately 61% of the overall waste stream could be recycled, recovered, or composted. This is a theoretical maximum, as recovery systems in practice are not capable of diverting 100% of a material from landfill disposal Kerbside Refuse Refuse is collected from the kerbside through the council contract for bag collection and also private collections of wheeled bins and drums. The composition and quantity of kerbside refuse is shown in Table 18. Table 18: Combined council kerbside refuse bags and private bins % of total T/week Recyclable 7.3% 4.2 T/week Paper Multimaterial/ other 1.5% 0.8 T/week Subtotal 8.8% 5.0 T/week Recyclable # % 2.4 T/week Plastics Plastic bags & film 8.4% 4.8 T/week Multimaterial/ other 2.7% 1.5 T/week Subtotal 15.2% 8.7 T/week Kitchen waste 38.4% 22.0 T/week Organics Greenwaste 6.1% 3.5 T/week Multimaterial/ other 5.8% 3.3 T/week Subtotal 50.2% 28.8 T/week Ferrous metals Steel cans 1.5% 0.9 T/week Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

45 Multimaterial/ other 0.8% 0.4 T/week Subtotal 2.3% 1.3 T/week Non ferrous metals Aluminium cans 0.3% 0.2 T/week Multimaterial/ other 1.0% 0.6 T/week Subtotal 1.3% 0.7 T/week Bottles/jars 2.6% 1.5 T/week Glass Multimaterial/ other 0.8% 0.4 T/week Subtotal 3.4% 2.0 T/week Clothing/textiles 2.8% 1.6 T/week Textiles Multimaterial/ other 1.4% 0.8 T/week Subtotal 4.1% 2.4 T/week Sanitary paper 12.2% 7.0 T/week Rubble 0.7% 0.4 T/week Timber 0.4% 0.2 T/week Rubber 0.3% 0.2 T/week Potentially hazardous Household 0.9% 0.5 T/week Other 0.3% 0.2 T/week Subtotal 1.2% 0.7 T/week TOTAL 100.0% 57.3 T/week Council kerbside refuse The waste audit found that the average weight of a Council kerbside refuse bag was 5.63 kg. 7% of bags weighed over 10 kg. The average household bag set out was 1.29 bags. Almost 80% of all households that set out Council refuse bags set out a single refuse bag. About 5% of households set out more than two bags. The primary composition of refuse collected in council refuse bags is shown in Figure 10. Figure 10: Composition of Council kerbside domestic refuse bags 43

46 The largest fraction in the council kerbside waste is organics at 54% followed by plastics (15%) and nappies and sanitary (13%). The amount of nappies and sanitary is higher than what is normally found in waste audits Private MGBs and drums The primary composition of refuse collected in MGBs and drums from domestic and commercial premises by private waste operators is presented in Figure 11. Figure 11: Composition of private kerbside bins and drums Organics makes up a notably smaller fraction of the waste in private bins, but there are larger fractions of recyclable materials including paper, plastic, glass and metals. Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

47 6.4 Cleanfilled Waste No estimate of the composition of cleanfilled waste has been made as there is no data available. A very high proportion is likely to be soil and rubble. No data is currently available about the tonnage disposed of to cleanfill in Ashburton. The MfE commissioned a study of waste composition and construction waste data in 2006 (Waste Not Consulting, 2006). The study reviewed data on cleanfill tonnages mainly in Christchurch, Auckland, Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty Region and converted the results into a figure for tonnes per capita per annum. Based on the weighted average of the data, the quantity of waste disposed to cleanfill is in the range of 0.65 to 0.91 tonnes/capita/annum. The rate of cleanfill per capita in Ashburton is expected to be lower than found in the study due to the nature of the economy in the district and a figure of 0.5 tonnes per capita per annum has been used for the estimate. Table 19: Estimate of waste to cleanfill Population 31,041 Tonnes/capita/annum of waste to cleanfill 0.5 Total waste to cleanfill (tonnes per annum) 15, Organic Waste The majority of organic waste processing takes place in the windrows located at the ARRP. The greenwaste is brought to the ARRP from a number of sources as shown in Table 20. Table 20: Composted greenwaste Council controlled composted waste Greenwaste collected at ARRP from direct drop-off and private collection services Approximate tonnes per annum 1,250 Greenwaste collected at Methven 50 Greenwaste collected at Rakaia 89 TOTAL 1,389 There are some other organic processing operations, but no data is available on those waste streams. These materials would include home composting of food and greenwaste, rendering of meat waste from butcheries and supermarkets and vermicomposting at Ashburton Meat Processing site. 45

48 6.6 Recycled Waste In this analysis, diverted waste materials includes only the Council-controlled commodity recycling systems (i.e. kerbside recycling and transfer station drop-offs). Data about commodities (i.e. paper, kraft, glass, plastic and metal containers) collected by commercial recyclers has not been made available. Nor has any attempt been made to quantify other diverted materials, such as: Construction and demolition material Tyres Second-hand goods Table 21: Recycled materials Commodity Recycling Tonnes per annum % of total Kerbside recycling collections 1,596 T/annum 37% Drop-off and other 2,741 T/annum 63% Total Council-controlled commodity recycling 4,337 T/annum 100% The largest component of recycled waste is paper/cardboard which represents approximately 54% of all council commodity recycling. Glass is the second largest component, comprising 36% of the total. The amount of material collected at the kerbside has increased over the recent year as shown in Figure 12. Figure 12: Kerbside recycling tonnages Kerbside Recycling Rural Waste Little is known about the waste management practices of rural residents and businesses. Although some do use the Council refuse and recycling services, many rural properties are not provided with a kerbside collection. It is assumed that they make use of the transfer stations; however anecdotal evidence also suggests that Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment

49 there may be some self-management of waste on farms for example through burial and burning of wastes. The lack of reliable information on farm waste in the district and its potential impacts suggests a potential future work area to ascertain any significant issues and what responses, if any, are appropriate. In , surveys of farms in the Canterbury, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions was undertaken to investigate the generation of non-natural rural wastes. 20,21 The report identified the three most commonplace farm waste management practices as burning, burial or bulk storage for an indefinite time. Table 22: Waste generation per farm surveyed in Waikato/BoP and Canterbury Waste Stream Waikato/BoP survey (tonnes) Canterbury survey (tonnes) Average non-natural rural waste Average organic/animal waste Average household domestic waste The data for average tonnages of non-natural rural waste from the Waikato/BoP surveys is substantially higher than the Canterbury surveys, and our own analysis of the data suggests this may be an over-estimate. In order to produce a more conservative estimate the Canterbury survey data has been applied to Ashburton in the following analysis. Statistics NZ reports that there are 1,446 farms in Ashburton District. 22 Two different methods for estimating the amount of non-natural rural waste in Ashburton district are presented below. The conclusion is that between 9,958 and 10,962 tonnes of non-natural waste is generated each year. An estimate of 10,500 tonnes per annum has been used. Table 23 : Estimate of non-natural rural waste in Ashburton based upon farm size Size in hectares Under Over 200 Total Number of farms ,446 Estimated average non-natural rural waste per farm (tonnes) 23 Estimated non-natural rural waste (tonnes) ,470 2,163 6,240 9, GHD Rural waste surveys data analysis Waikato & Bay of Plenty July GHD Report for Environment Canterbury - Non-natural rural wastes, 51/31507/ 22 Stats NZ 2012 Agricultural Census 23 Based on the average amount of non-natural rural waste produced by small holdings as surveyed in the Canterbury region and estimates for larger farms 47

50 Table 2425 : Estimate of non-natural rural waste in Ashburton based upon farm type Type of farm Average non-natural rural waste per farm (tonnes) 24 Number of farms in Ashburton district 25 Estimated nonnatural rural waste (tonnes) Dairy ,306 Livestock ,126 Arable and other ,530 Total 1,431 10,962 The composition of the non-natural rural waste in Canterbury was estimated, as shown in Figure 13. The proportion of potentially recyclable material is high. Figure 13: Composition of non-natural rural waste in Canterbury Further investigation of the impact on the environment of farm waste is currently being undertaken in Canterbury by ECan and results are expected be available before the end of Waste Analysis Summary and Key Points Waste services in the district are provided by a mix of private sector, community and council service providers. Ashburton district generates about 44,000 tonnes of waste material each year: Approximately 10,000 tonnes of waste per annum is landfilled currently from Ashburton district 24 Based on the average amount of non-natural rural waste produced by relevant farm type as surveyed in the Canterbury region 25 The farms classed as forestry have not been included in the estimates Ashburton District Council Waste Assessment