Bright Wings

Masterton Council leaves landowners in dark over building restrictions

Landowners of 30 properties adjoining the new sewerage plant at Homebush have just learned that they will be unable to build on their properties within 300 metres of where the waste water will be dumped.

It appears that the 2008 District Plan extended the area owners were unable to build on from 150 to 300 metres, but no-one told the landowners.

Given the controversial nature of this project it seems strange that no-one thought to tell the owners.

The Council did notify some owners of other changes to the 2008 District Plan which might affect them, because I received a letter myself.

Was this then a deliberate act on the part of the Council not to inform property owners at Homebush (and possibly inflame the sewerage debate) or was it an oversight?  Either way, it reflects badly on the Council.

Irate landowners are threatening legal action which is likely to result in more cost to ratepayers (paying for the Council to defend the action) as well as delaying the new sewerage scheme.

 

Maps of the proposed Homebush sewerage scheme

Rubbish policy needs rethink

The Wairarapa News reports Masterton residents on low incomes are struggling with the increased cost of rubbish bags, retailing at between $13 and $15 for five bags.

The price increase was intended to encourage residents to recycle as much as possible to reduce the cost of shipping waste to the Bonnie Glen Landfill in Rangitikei.

MDC Finance Manager David Paris suggests residents finding the cost of five bags too much call at the Council offices and buy individual bags.

This is an unrealistic option for those with limited mobility and who live some distance from the centre of town.  A better option would be to sell them individually through dairies.

Masterton already has a problem with people dumping rubbish in places like riverbanks on the outskirts of the town. This is only going to make the problem worse.

Rubbish bag prices

There are some interesting differences in rubbish bag pricing across the three Wairarapa Councils:

Masterton	5 bags for $13-15	$2.70 each (available only from Council offices)
Carterton		$2.00 each (available supermarket and dairies)
South Wairarapa	10 bags for $8	80 cents each

Minimising rubbish

Carterton Council has some useful tips on waste minimisation and includes a helpful Composting for beginners fact sheet.

Having an experienced senior recycling person on hand at the weekend to sort through trailers of rubbish dumped at the Nursery Road transfer station might help reduce waste.  It is not practical for those with trailers to untie their load and remove recyclables at the recycling station, then retie the load and go up the hill to the transfer station, so the lot is dumped over the side.

Plastic recycling nightmare

Plastic waste is a worldwide problem. I was shocked by the mountain of plastic at the Masterton Transfer Station, at Nursery Road.

Looking more closely at this mountain I could see a variety of different plastics all jumbled together. Milk containers, softdrink bottles, yoghurt containers (which are apparently not recycled according to the Council website) - all thrown into a huge heap.

This led me to two conclusions:

1. Transfer station staff are not trained to differentiate between different plastic types and are lumping them all together, or
2. There is no market for any of the plastics so they are being bundled up and dumped somewhere.

Having seen this heap I wondered why I'd bothered spending time separating recyclable plastics into the different bins if they were just going to end up together.

Time to charge the manufacturers

I think it is high time drink manufacturers were charged a hefty levy to cover the cost of recycling softdrink bottles.

As a nation we should be examining

• why so much softdrink is being consumed and
• why we are not using returnable glass bottles

Apparently softdrink is the top-selling supermarket item. This is creating a huge environmental problem and is already causing significant health problems that are going to cost the country dearly in years to come.

Health professionals tell me they regularly have to try and wean people off three two-litre softdrink bottles per day.

Improving Masterton recycling

GHD Consultants have prepared a seven-stage plan to reduce the amount of Masterton waste ending up in landfill, according to the Times-Age.

I looked in vain for this report on the Masterton District Council website as I'd be really interested in learning about the proposed initiatives, but couldn't find it.

In the meantime, I'd offer some suggestions for operational improvements at the Nursery Road site.

• Provide a covered area for people to put reusable household items.
  The area where people can leave reusable items -  from lounge suites to vacuum cleaners to microwaves - is out in the open. I have seen perfectly servicable appliances and lounge suites ruined by being left out in the rain.
  
  The wastage that goes on here is dreadful, particularly when Masterton has a quite a sizeable population group who are struggling financially.


• Develop the recycling area as a residents' recycle swap centre
  Admission to the recycling area could be by bringing recyclables with you, or paying a gold coin admission. Once there, residents could help themselves to whatever is on offer.


• Ensure Nursery Road staff are properly trained and supervised
  A friend recently took a used car battery to the Nursery Road transfer station and, knowing the environmental issues used batteries caused, asked where he should leave it. He was told to dump the battery over the side at the transfer station. He was horrified.
  
  Irrespective of any long-term environmental issues, the sulphuric acid in lead acid batteries such as car batteries can cause severe skin burns or irritation and must be handled in line with Ministry for the Environment guidelines.
  
  On my few visits to the transfer station - usually because I've missed the weekly rubbish collection - I always see large amounts of reusable items in the mound of rubbish awaiting transportation out of the district.
  
  Staff at the Nursery Road site seem to have a couldn't-care-less attitude to recycling and environmental safety issues. This points to poor training and inadequate supervision.


• Improve signage at recycling area
  Much of the signage in the plastics recycling area is damaged and hard to read. It would be helpful to have a list of the plastic types/numbers that the recycling centre does actually accept.