25 January 2019
Media: Daily Post
Topic: Illegal dumping
Enquiry
Reporter sought council comment after receiving a letter from a member of the public about illegal dumping.
The person said:
Taking rubbish to the dump was expensive and he believed it deterred people from getting rid of their rubbish through the proper avenues.
It costs $14 to $20 to dispose of a desktop computer at the Rotorua Recycling Centre. Thirteen computers would cost between $182 and $260 to dispose of.
Disposing of general refuse at the dump costs $18 for a car load or $45 for a single axle trailer, van or ute carrying up to 250kg of rubbish.
"The side of the road is free so why would you pay $250 when you can do it on the side of the road for free," he said.
He said he had reported the dumping and had been told clean up would be arranged.
*NOTE: The dumping site was in the Atiamuri area at a site beside the Taaunaatara Stream
Response
We can confirm [the dumping] was reported via email to RLC but we needed more information to enable us to pinpoint the location and it will be dealt with as soon as possible.
From Rotorua Lakes Council Infrastructure Group Manager Stavros Michael:
"Illegal dumping is a community problem and people have to take personal responsibility for doing the right thing in disposing of the waste they generate.
"There is a cost associated with dealing with our community's waste. Fees at the landfill and for the disposal of items like e-waste at our recycling centre cover the cost associated with disposing of the waste the community generates.
"A user pays system as we currently have ensures individuals and businesses pay for the disposal of the waste that they each generate. Some generate more waste than others.
"Reducing or removing fees means the burden of the cost - which would remain the same - would fall on only those who pay rates.
"This is an issue that requires a long-term community ownership approach."
Below are some FAQs from our website re landfill fees which may also help:
Why do you charge landfill fees?
There is a cost associated with dealing with our community's waste.
Landfills must pay two types of taxes - a waste minimisation levy which is fixed at $10 per tonne of waste that goes into the landfill and a envoronmenmtal/climate change compensation for the greenhouse gases created by waste through purchasing carbon credits. Landfill operators must purchase 'carbon credits' as part of the Emissions Trading Scheme set up by the Government to mitigate climate change. The cost to landfill operators is currently $25 per NZU (1 tonne of carbon dioxide).
- e.g. 1 tonne of waste creates approximately 1.19 tonne of carbon dioxide
- For every 1 tonne of waste dumped at the landfill it costs $29.75 in carbon credits
- Levies for every 1 tonne of waste = $39.75
The fees charged at the landfill or transfer station gate must cover the operational cost of collecting and disposing all the waste produced by the people of Rotorua. These costs include organisational overheads such as staff costs, insurance, resource consent fees, environmental monitoring,, security and power.
What are carbon credits?
Carbon credits or New Zealand Units (NZUs) are a type of tax on certain industries that produce harmful greenhouse gases e.g. petrol companies, landfill operators or forestry companies.
By putting a price on emissions the Government aims to encourage industry to look at ways to decrease the amount of harmful gas they produce so they can decrease the cost to their business.
Some businesses pass the cost of purchasing carbon credits on to the people producing the harmful gases - the consumers. This means the people making waste or driving cars must pay for carbon they are emitting.
Click here to watch a video about the Emissions Trading Scheme and carbon credit purchasing
Why not just make it free to use the landfill?
The costs for operating a collection and disposal service for waste are real and must be recovered. If we did not charge a fee, all of the cost would fall on the general ratepayers to pay for the waste created by individual households. A user-pays or targeted rates system means people pay for their own waste. Making the landfill free would require a change to Council's current funding policy.
What about giving people free dump tickets?
The problem is the same as above. There are costs to be recovered for waste management. There is no way to accurately calculate the true cost of doing this as Council would be incurring the disposal and management costs for the volume of waste created. Again it is a matter of funding policy and equity. Council's current view is that the burden of cost for waste creation should be carried by the individuals who create it not just people who pay rates.
It used to be cheap to dump rubbish at the landfill - why does it cost more now?
Before 2016 the Government helped some businesses by subsidising the cost of carbon credits meaning that landfill operators could keep the fees they pass on to users at lower levels. In 2016 operators were paying 67% of the cost per unit, in 2017 the subsidy decreased and operators were paying 83% and now the subsidy has been completely removed so operators must pay 100% of the cost of carbon credits. In addition tougher environmental effects monitoring requires landfill and waste management operators to incur much higher costs than earlier years.
How you can help:
- Encourage your friends and family to do the right thing. Not only does illegal dumping cost the community a lot of money, it also has a major impact on the environment.
- Report any dumped rubbish to Council as soon as possible so contractors can remove it before people add to it.
- Take your rubbish home with you. This will help stop public bins from overflowing in popular areas. And if bins are already overflowing, don't add to the pile, take the rubbish home and dispose of it in your wheelie bins.
- When reporting rubbish it is very helpful if you supply photos that have a location tag. This can be done by turning on your location services on your smart device before taking the photo. This enables contractors to go straight to the dumping site rather than spending time searching for the rubbish.
- If you witness illegal dumping do not approach the offenders but take notes or photos of the person and their vehicle. This can help with identification and prosecution.
- If your community/neighbourhood has an issue with litter and/or rubbish get together with your neighbours and contact Council for advice. Phone 07 348 4199, info@rotorualc.nz or via Facebook @rotorualakescouncil
You'll find the full FAQs at THIS LINK
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Media: Daily Post
Topic: Illegal dumping
Enquiry
We have been notified by a member of the public of an alleged assault.
The member of the public claims he saw a man in a vehicle on Tutanekai St outside Hennesy's who was trying to stop there but told not to by council staff/contractors setting up for the night market. Long story short, an altercation occurred which saw two council staff, in high vis, who had been setting up for the market, punching the man through the car window.
The member of the public said they were "smashing the sh*t out of him". The MoP tried to intervene but was stopped from by a city guardian supposedly, he is in a wheelchair.
The MoP also says there is cctv footage but he was told that had been reviewed and no further action would be taken.
Police have confirmed they were called to the incident about 3pm.
- How does the council respond to the allegations?
Response
Rotorua Lakes Council's Operations Group Manager, Henry Weston:
We are aware of an incident that has taken place involving a number of individuals, including security and Council staff.
We are currently looking into this. Police are also investigating and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.
