Auckland Council will meet in December to decide whether to go ahead with a proposed six-month trial for fortnightly kerbside rubbish collections.
Parts of Te Atatu Peninsula, Panmure/Tāmaki, and Clendon Park/Weymouth could be affected if the vote passes, and the trial should begin in February next year.
The trial aims to assess a wider rollout of reduced rubbish collection, which could see it switch from weekly to fortnightly.
About 10,000 households could be involved in the trial, and would receive a temporary rates reduction to reflect the change in service.
Council’s general manager of waste solutions Justine Haves said no date has been set yet for the meeting, but it should be around mid-December.
Haves said they were waiting for council appointments to be completed, before a meeting date is confirmed.
“Once a decision is made, we’ll inform the public through a media release and send direct communications to households in the proposed trial areas to let them know whether the trial will go ahead,” she said.
“If the proposal is not approved, the current weekly rubbish collections will continue in those areas.”
Council waste solutions general manager Justine Haves talks about the proposed fortnightly rubbish collection trial, which has opened for consultation. (Source: Breakfast)
Haves said elected councillors will be presented with a range of information to inform their decision – including community feedback collected through the public consultation.
They will also be presented with how the trial would work and the support available for potential trial participants; and how it aligns with Auckland’s Waste Minimisation and Management Plan 2024, she said.
“Councillors will consider the information and vote on whether to go ahead with the proposed trial.”
She said the proposed trial areas were chosen based on factors like demographics, housing types, and the presence of food scraps and recycling services.
The three proposed trial areas aimed to provide a large enough number of households to generate meaningful data, while offering a mix of demographics and housing types to reflect Auckland’s diversity.
“At this stage, the proposed trial areas remain the same.”
Temporary rates reduction proposed
If the trial goes ahead, participating households will receive a temporary rates reduction to reflect the change in service – ranging from $23.30 for an 80-litre bin to $46.50 for a 240-litre bin.
Haves said this means potential trial participants will not be paying the full cost of weekly collections, while they help council gather important insight on how a fortnightly system could work across the city.
“In addition, we’re providing other support – including waived bin exchange fees, further incentives for households that produce very little waste, and additional bin capacity provided at no cost if needed.”
Aucklanders weigh in
Some South Auckland residents were worried the six-month trial could increase illegal dumping in the area. (Source: 1News)
A one-month public consultation on the proposed trial ended last Friday.
Manurewa-Papakura councillor Daniel Newman said more than 500 submission forms were lodged from the Weymouth Residents and Ratepayers’ Association, and many more submissions were lodged from around the Auckland region.
“I will ask the Mayor and councillors to give weight to Weymouth, Clendon and Manurewa, as well as Panmure and Te Atatū where a trial has been proposed without the consent of those Auckland households,” Newman said.
“In truth, the councillors can kill the trial in December and affirm a permanent region wide weekly rubbish collection service.”
Waitākere councillor Shane Henderson said his decision will be guided by the feedback from the public consultation.
“I’ll consider it very carefully in my decision making,” Henderson said.
“I note that participating households will receive a reduction in their rates bills and advice and guidance on how to make it work, so keep an eye out for the communication around that from council staff.”
Haves said council has no plans yet for a region-wide roll out of fortnightly rubbish collections.
“The purpose of the trial is to gather information to inform future decisions on how Auckland’s waste is collected.
“Any future changes would be consulted on as part of the 2027 Long-term Plan.”
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
