Latest News Solid Waste Services Cost Users More User-pays increases before rates increases is the message from Masterton District Council as it streamlines solid waste operations in a bid to avoid a further 1% rates increase.  Steps being taken to reduce operating costs include:  Increasing gate fees per tonne of waste from $144.40 to $160.00 (from July 1) Increasing compost fees from $30.00 to $40.00 per tonne (July 1) Reducing Nursery Road Transfer Station opening hours Saturday/Sunday and Public Holidays (Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm & Sunday/public holidays 10am – 4pm (from August 1)  Increasing Council rubbish bag charges by 10%. Supermarket prices will vary but Council will sell the bags at $2.70 each (Aug 1) Closing Tinui Landfill (from July 1, 2009) and not open other rural transfer stations on Wednesdays in winter Reviewing and possibly closing the Mauriceville Transfer Station after consultation with residents Masterton Mayor Garry Daniell says the changes are ‘inevitable’ as a $12.50 per tonne waste levy is being imposed on all waste to landfills by the Government and the only ‘real solution is to reduce the waste stream and encourage recycling’.   “The waste business is such that ratepayers should not absorb increasing costs.  The onus needs to be on the user to pay the cost of their waste disposal, and these costs keep going up.  “We have to pass on the costs to those contributing to our solid waste stream. Hopefully this will act as an impetus on those creating the waste to work out ways to reduce their contribution,” Mr Daniell said.  The waste levy was introduced as part of the implementation of the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 (the Act) to ‘encourage waste minimisation and decrease waste disposal in New Zealand’.  Rural Councillor Roddy Mckenzie supports the moves and wants to see the Council working in with rural residents ‘to find some answers to the difficult questions’.  “It’s costing a terrific lot of money to run the rural landfills and rates cover most of the costs. Trying to find an answer to this problem is not going to be easy. I think it’s good the Council is going out to tell people just how much it costs and where the costs lie.  “The people paying for the rural landfills are all the rural people. Probably around two-thirds of those people don’t use a rural landfill. They go to Masterton.  So they are paying twice in places like Whangaehu and Bideford, to name a few.    “Why should they pay for a rural landfill when they don’t use it?   I want to see the council working with the ratepayers to answer some of those difficult questions,” Mr McKenzie said.  The Council has appointed a solid waste engineer, Clive Margetts, to stock-take the region’s solid waste services and review the Council’s contracts for services to reflect the Wairarapa’s Waste Strategy.  He will also evaluate tenders for the new contracts.  These contracts will cover both Masterton and Carterton District Council, with Mr Margetts saying he is looking forward to working more closely with Carterton to streamline services and improve outcomes.  “We’d like to encourage tenderers to put forward innovative methodologies for the kerbside collection and processing of residual waste, recyclables, green waste and kitchen waste,” Mr Margetts said.  For more information about the changes to solid waste services, contact Masterton District Council on (06) 370 6300 or email admin@mstn.govt.nz with your specific query. Waste Minimisation Levy Introduced from 1 July 2009 24 June 2009