11 February 2020
Media: Rotorua Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Green waste
Enquiry
I'm working on a story about green waste targets. It was discussed in the O+M meeting last week.
I've talked to some people for the story and would like to give the council the opportunity to respond to the things they've said. I also have some of my own questions, below.
- One person says the council needs to take into account the four well-beings and invest in green bins. She says it's feasible and "you would hope money wouldn't be the sole focus - we're in a climate crisis, money isn't everything." She says if the cost is the only argument against having green bins it's not "valid". "Is it that they don't have the money [for green waste bins and collection] or they just don't want to spend it on that?"
- Another person says green waste can be used for compost and the council should be encouraging that more. She acknowledges the council does some work in the area of education about composting but she doesn't think it's enough. She says organic and green waste going to the landfill is "the worst thing that can happen".
My questions:
In the meeting, Stavros Michael said of green waste collection "We are working on it and hopefully this study will give us some indications" -What study was he referring to and what will it indicate and when?
What does Mr Michael mean when he says the council is "working on it" - is the council moving toward introducing green bins? (This may relate to the first question)
Why does the council have targets for green waste collection but no collection service? What is the plan to achieve this goal?
What guides the target of equal to or more than 7000 tonnes of green waste recovered?
What does 'recovered' mean - does that mean the waste still goes into landfill or is it to be processed in another way? How?
For your reference, the relevant page in the O+M agenda is page 34. Discussion began around 2.05.00 on the live stream.
Response
From Infrastructure General Manager Stavros Michael:
In Council's 2018 - 2028 Long Term Plan (LTP), the diversion of food/green waste from landfill is identified as the next stage in our journey towards more sustainable waste management.
We are currently conducting a detailed waste audit and feasibility analysis to help identify what this diversion will look like (study referred to in meeting). Once complete, consultation with the community will take place. Recommendations will then be made to Council who will decide how we proceed.
We are committed to exploring in detail what it would mean for residents if we introduced a green waste service in the near future. To do this we need information such as the results from the above waste audit and feasibility analysis, as well as detailed economic modelling. Our plan is to collate this information in time to inform the development of the next LTP, in 2021.
Currently council provides a source-separated green waste collection facility at the landfill. This service is intended to provide an alternative disposal option for residents and businesses who generate large volumes of green waste. This waste is able to be composted and on sold to contribute to the running costs of the green waste facility (recovered).
Our green waste collection target of 7000 tonnes (30% of the total municipal waste at that time) was based on actual green waste collection at the landfill when operation was based on open landfill activity, and before it was converted to a transfer station. This change, along with the introduction of the Te-Ngae Waste Management Transfer station, and recognising that Rotorua Lakes Council is no longer the dominant waste management entity - there are a number of private green waste collection services now operating in the district, may mean this target is revised in the next LTP.
Residents have the option of composting food/green waste in their own backyards. Over the past years, council has organized several workshops and education campaigns to encourage home composting for food/green waste.
Composting on a bigger scale is one of the options we are considering as an alternative way to separate green waste from general waste in the future. Since we do not have a commercial composting facility in Rotorua, any decision on composting public food/green waste may require new composting infrastructure, suitable for our scale and requirements.
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Media: Rotorua Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Petition against proposed discharge of treated wastewater
Enquiry
I am writing a story about a petition that has been launched calling on Te Arawa to "do everything it can" to stop some proposed changes to the Rotorua wastewater treatment plant. It is also calling on the iwi to push for a law that would see Lake Rotorua granted legal personhood, which this group believes would further "protect" the lake.
-Could you please give me the latest on where the Rotorua wastewater upgrade is at - I understand the council/BOPRC is currently waiting for an environment court hearing date, but if you can clarify and update us on this that would be fantastic.
-Does the council stand by its view that a land contact bed approach is just as good as the old filtration/treatment system (via the Whakarewarewa Forest) and would be safe for the lake in all aspects?
-Would the council support an iwi move to make Lake Rotorua a legal person?
Here are the comments from petitioners, which I invite the council to respond to if they wish.
Comments:
It's much harder to crap on something that has personhood rights.
In Whanganui it's much harder for polluters to put their waste, treated or not, into the river
The plan to put water treated by land contact bed in the lake is The council's dirty disgusting plan
When the waters are sick the people get sick If you make the lake sick you make the people sick
It's not the first time they've [the Rotorua Lakes Council] put sewage in the lake
Regarding the treated water being safe / cleaner than the water currently in the lake: I don't believe them [the council/councillors/council contractors]. They're all on the council's payroll - people hired by council to test the water treated this way, who say it is cleaner
Prove it[is clean] to us
We need to stop the madness and find a land-based solution.
[The Rotorua wastewater upgrade and treating water using the land contact bed] It's all about money, council don't want to pay the extra cost
They've [the council] got a lot to lose by doing that to the lake.
What the council need to do is find more money
They've already researched [alternative land-based solutions] Mamaku and Whakapoungakau.
They seem to find money for a whole lot of other things They're getting carried away with festivals and what not.
[The idea the land contact bed model mimics Papatuanuku] It's insulting to Papatuanuku
Response
As an Environment Court hearing on the proposal is pending it would be inappropriate for Council to comment. (this can be attributed to Infrastructure Group Manager Stavros Michael if required)
For all background in regards to the proposal see THIS LINK to information provided during community consultation which includes an extensive set of FAQs (see to right of screen).
Follow up response:
Here is the information from the site link provided.
Council has applied for resource consent for the Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade and waiparapara release location point after taking into account all feedback received from the 2017 engagement as well as all previous consultation rounds.
As stated below, an Environment Court hearing on the proposal is pending.
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Media: Rotorua Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Gardens and beautification in CBD
Enquiry
I'm interested in gardens and beautification in Rotorua. As I mentioned in our first meeting, since I've moved here I've noticed there seems to be a real effort in this direction.
Could you please find out for me:
- How much RLC spends on gardens, planting and beautification in the CBD, excluding parks or reserves - i.e. how much was spent in the last year (Jan 1 2019 - 31 Dec 2019)?
- And the previous two years - 2018 and 2017?
- A break down of those costs for the 2019 period - please break down personnel costs into roles, or if that is not possible, at least teams/units?
- I understand Infracore has its own nursery for seedlings - how much has the council saved on bulbs and plants as a result? How long has Infracore had its own nursery? Perhaps it is possible to compare before and after (in terms of cost).
- How often are gardens, flower beds etc replanted? Is there council's plan/scheme for this? If so can you provide details?
Any other information about the gardens and beautification scheme for Rotorua town - For example, I would love to know what role it is that ensures there's no gum on the pavement, how that job is done and how much it costs the Council. Some colour along those lines would be very useful and interesting.
Response
Information and comment provided:
How much RLC spends on gardens, planting and beautification in the CBD, excluding parks or reserves - i.e. how much was spent in the last year (Jan 1 2019 - 31 Dec 2019)?
Our spend with our Gardening Maintenance Contractor has a specified $257,660.00 (19/20 financial year) - allocated for gardening work for the main shopping area of the CBD (does not include Government gardens, Kuirau Park and the lakefront)
This specified amount is for work that is regularly scheduled e.g. mowing, weeding, shrub pruning etc. This does not include on-demand work such as restoring a patch of garden that has been damaged by vandalism. These other requirements are paid for as necessary and this amount varies each year depending on damage.
Examples of regular gardening work in the CBD:
- Annual garden beds (replacement and maintenance)
- Gardens - roses (replacement and maintenance)
- Garden - shrubs (replacement and maintenance)And the previous two years - 2018 and 2017?Please note that a new system was introduced to break down horticultural contracts in the past financial year. In previous years contracts for horticultural services covered the entire district so we can't provide a breakdown as above for 2018 and 2017.I understand Infracore has its own nursery for seedlings - how much has the council saved on bulbs and plants as a result? How long has Infracore had its own nursery? Perhaps it is possible to compare before and after (in terms of cost).Comment from Sport, Recreation and Environment Manager Rob Pitkethley - "The Rotorua Nursery has been used to service Rotorua's gardens since 1987. There are a number of reasons it's beneficial that we have access to our own nursery as well as the knowledge of the personnel employed by Infracore."By having a nursery here in Rotorua we save on freight and storage costs. We are also able to produce a higher standard of seedlings (bigger plants) which means we get real value for money. It also means we have the plants on hand for when we need them and we are able to time planting better to suit the changing weather or swapping plants immediately [rather than having to wait for a delivery] if a particular garden is looking a little worse for wear."How often are gardens, flower beds etc replanted? Is there council's plan/scheme for this? If so can you provide details?Flower gardens
- are re-planted 2x per year i.e. spring and Autumn.
- are designed according to
- the climate in Rotorua which allows for the use of spring bulbs. These have historically performed well and are generally used in the flower gardens every winter to provide extra colour in spring.
- the co-ordination of the design within each area e.g. Arawa/Fenton St, Croquet gardens etc.
- the palate of well performing flower plants which is somewhat limited in the winter (autumn planting) which often means repetition of planting design and style, however in summer (spring planting) there are many plant options to select from and to provide variety in the planting designs and style.Shrub Gardens
1. These range from formal style of gardens through to semi natural/informal
- The gardens that are more formal will be replanted every 5-10 years. This is where most of the plants are removed and replaced.
- Gardens that are informal may not get replaced for some time and there may be only pockets within each garden that get replaced on a more frequent cycle.
Garden Themes
- CBD gardens have a variety of both exotic and native plants
- They are more formal and do include clipped hedges, splashes of colour etc.
- Tutanekei Street, as the centre of the city, has gardens which have more colour and interest, rocks are used throughout these gardens and the mulch is black as opposed to the brown bark mulch used in other areasAny other information about the gardens and beautification scheme for Rotorua town - For example, I would love to know what role it is that ensures there's no gum on the pavement, how that job is done and how much it costs the Council. Some colour along those lines would be very useful and interesting.Chewing gum removal is covered under the service level agreement with Infracore. There are two Infracore team members who sweep the inner city on a daily basis. Part of that work includes removing any gum they come across during their sweep. It's a simple process of using a metal tool to scrape the gum from the pavement or street furniture.The accumulation of gum is checked during daily routine inspections of the inner city. There is no specific cost of gum removal as it is captured as part of the day to day cleaning programme which includes the inner city, Tryon Street, Western Heights shopping centre and Ngongotaha shopping area.
