Rising Government charges mean the charges at landfill and transfer stations in the Taupō District are set to increase.
From 1 July, Taupō District Council must increase its per tonne refuse charge by $40, from $170 per tonne to $210 per tonne, while green waste will increase from $51 to $60 per tonne.
Council operates a landfill and resource recovery centre and five transfer stations and the refuse charges at these sites are directly influenced by the Government’s waste disposal levy and the requirement to purchase carbon credits under the Emissions Trading Scheme. The cost of carbon credits has risen drastically and payment of these is mandatory for council.
“These changes have directly impacted on our landfill user charges, making it more expensive to dispose of waste at landfill and transfer stations around the district,” Taupō District Council environmental impacts manager Brent Aitken says.
From Saturday, the minimum charge for a small carload of rubbish (under 100kg) will rise from $17 to $21 at all sites.
At facilities without a weighbridge (Kinloch, Omori/Kuratau and Mangakino), a small van or trailer load (under 250kg) will rise from $42 to $52, and a large van or trailer load (under 400kg) will increase from $68 to $84.
At facilities with a weighbridge (Taupō and Tūrangi), users will be charged at $210 per tonne for any load above the minimum charge (100kg).
The Tūrangi transfer station’s new weighbridge will be operational from Saturday 1 July and the process there will mirror what’s done at Broadlands Road landfill in Taupō, where customers are charged at a per tonne rate.
The new weighbridge includes a licence plate recognition camera, and vehicles will be required to weigh in and out to dispose of their refuse and green waste. The new weighbridge is located after the recycling area, so it will still be free to drop off recyclable items.
“Please be patient while both staff and customers get used to changes to the roading layout and the new charging system,” Mr Aitken says.
“Also, it’s worth disposing of your green waste and refuse separately, so you can take advantage of the cheaper green waste rate and you’re not sending green waste to landfill.”
You can reduce the amount of waste to landfill through kerbside recycling and composting at home. To learn more, visit www.taupo.govt.nz/rubbishandrecycling.
