31 December 2019
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Whakarewarewa Forest users accessing private lake Rotokakahi
Enquiry
Just following up on the recent Lake Rotokākahi development, which I have done something quick on here: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=12297311.
I was trying to get some comment from the council and the trails trust via the council in my last email. Are you able to provide something now that some trails have been closed? I assume the council has been part of that decision making?
Response
The reporter was informed that Council had nothing further to add at this stage.
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Illegal rubbish dumping
Enquiry
I'm working on a story about this dumped rubbish - posted here on Facebook (let me know if you can't see the thread).
Can you please find out for me:
- If and when this rubbish has been collected by the council
- Was there CCTV footage of the dumping and what will the council do with it (also, we would love to use that footage with the story if possible please!)?
- How common is rubbish dumping in this area? And rubbish dumping in Rotorua, generally?
- What is the council doing to prevent rubbish dumping?
- How much does it cost to offload a similar amount of rubbish at the transfer station?
- Has the cost to offload items at the transfer station risen in the last 12 months? 18 months? By how much?
- Any other relevant or interest information you may wish to include.
Would be great to have an attributable council officer for some or all of these answers please, where possible.
Subsequent from reporter:
Just a wee follow up too - just wanted to check with council if these comments are correct / if you want to provide any clarity on them. It's in full here, but the key comments are bolded:
Comment is from Councillor Tania Tapsell -
"Kelly first thing I noticed when I looked at this picture too! I sympathize with the prices for the transfer station, it's expensive because the landfill in Rotorua is completely full and now capped. Any rubbish we produce in Rotorua is taken from our transfer stations in trucks out of the district. So while we absolutely need to teach our kids this behavior is wrong I think we also need to look at how we consume in general to minimise waste. Was real sorry to see this but I hope that our team can get in ASAP and clean it up. We've got lots of staff out & about atm to cope with the holidays."
Response
The following information and comment was provided:
Re reporting of the illegal dumping near stadium and CCTV cameras there:
The illegal dumping near the stadium has been reported by a stadium staff member today (Tuesday 31 December) and will be referred to Smart Environmental for clean-up.
We can confirm there is a CCTV camera in the area and footage will be checked.
Illegal dumping like this is not common in this area.
Re capping of landfill: You'll find information about that HERE on Council's website
Some general information/FAQs about illegal dumping can be found HERE on Council's website and includes what people can do to help which might be good to use in your story? (see excerpt from those FAQs below)
Re how much it would have cost to take the rubbish to the dump: Sorry but we are not able to determine from the Facebook photo how much it would have cost to dispose of the illegally dumped rubbish at the landfill
Re landfill fees: Charges increased in January 2019 due to increasing cost for purchasing carbon credits as part of the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), which is required under New Zealand Government legislation. You'll find reference to this HERE on Council's website along with current charges. Sorry but am unable to provide info today re what the exact changes were. Waste Management, which manages landfill operations on behalf of Council, may be able to assist with that if they are open today.
Re cost of illegal dumping clean-ups: The average cost of illegal dumping clean ups in Rotorua is about $100,000 a year.
Re use of CCTV footage: sorry but that will not be possible
Comment from Infrastructure Group Manager Stavros Michael (Felix for your knowledge, waste services sit within the infrastructure group at Council):
Unfortunately there are always people who will choose to not do the right thing.
There is no evidence to suggest illegal dumping in Rotorua is worse than any other district but it does happen and we do what we can to minimise the occurrence. The majority of illegally dumped rubbish is items and materials that can go into people's wheelie bins.
Illegal dumping is a community issue that requires a long-term community ownership approach.
There is a cost associated with dealing with our community's waste and a user pays system like ensures individuals and businesses pay for the disposal of the waste they each generate. Reducing or removing landfill fees as is often suggested would see the burden of the cost - which would remain the same - falling on only those who pay rates.
The best successes have come from working alongside the community and the likes of schools and implementing strategies that have come from the community, such as community clean-up days supported by Council through practical assistance and in some cases funding via the council's Neighbourhood Matching Fund.
Things like removing scrub and trees from problem areas in parks is another way to deter illegal dumping. CCTV cameras are also used as a deterrence and may be moved around if new hotspots are identified but we can't have cameras in every corner of the district.
Regarding community clean ups, as well as support from Council there are multiple agencies that can fund all or parts of environmentally focussed work so that there is no cost to the community.
Excerpt from FAQs on Council website:
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
