Option 1 (preferred option)
Introduce a green waste collection service
This service would provide a 240-litre wheelie bin for the green organic waste and food waste, collected weekly.
Collection of the organic waste would begin in September 2026.
What should our kerbside green waste collection look like?
Kia pēhea kā riteka o te kohika taparori o te para tipu?
We currently lack a Council-provided kerbside collection service for green waste. The Government has mandated the introduction of a food waste collection by 2027, with our plan to begin this service in September 2026, aligned with the start of a new Waste Management contract.
While we must start collecting food waste, feedback from previous consultations and our Annual Residents’ Survey shows that the community desires a more comprehensive green kerbside service which would also collect organic waste, like your garden and lawn clippings.
What are the options?
For both options the collected waste would be taken to the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park, and then sent to a plant in Canterbury for composting.
You cannot opt out of whichever service is finally agreed. If your property already gets kerbside collection, you’ll get the food waste collection service and be charged. If the full kerbside green waste collection was approved, you would receive this service.
Under both scenarios, your regular red bin for general rubbish would still be collected every week.
-
-
Option 2
Only provide the mandatory food waste service
We are required by the Government to provide a food waste collection service. This service would provide a small 23-litre bin for food waste only, collected weekly.
For both options the collected waste would be taken to the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park, and then sent to a plant in Canterbury for composting.
You cannot opt out of whichever service is finally agreed. If your property already gets kerbside collection, you’ll get the food waste collection service and be charged. If the full kerbside green waste collection was approved, you would receive this service. Under both scenarios, your regular red bin for general rubbish would still be collected every week.
Option Analysis
Learn more about the costs, advantages and disadvantages of each option.
| What will it cost? | Advantages & Disadvantages |
| Capital: $1.66 million We expect to get a subsidy from the Waste Minimisation Fund of around $918,000 to cover the capital costs of the scheme. The remainder would be funded through loans. Operating: $1.24 million annually Operating costs would be covered through increased targeted rates for waste collection and savings from less refuse collected. Debt: $742,000 Rates: $72 This is the extra charge included in the Targeted rates for Refuse Collection, that is paid by those who get the service. | Advantages
Disadvantages
|
|
What will it cost? |
Advantages & Disadvantages |
|
Capital: $764,000 We expect to get a subsidy from the Waste Minimisation Fund of around $458,000 to cover the capital costs of the scheme. The remainder would be funded through loans. Operating: $524,000 annually Operating costs would be covered through increased targeted rates for waste collection and savings from less refuse collected. Debt: $306,000 Rates: $35 This is the extra charge included in the Targeted rates for Refuse Collection, that is paid by those who get the service. |
Advantages
Disadvantages
|
Funding a new service
We can secure a grant from the government’s Waste Minimisation Fund to help implement kerbside collection for both options. This funding would help cover the capital costs of establishing the service – such as the purchase of the new kerbside bins and construction of a storage bunker at the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park.
It’s important to note that the ongoing costs of collecting and transporting both food and green waste are higher than collecting just food waste alone. However, encouraging everyone to use green bins for organic waste instead of their red bins, will mean some cost savings from less organic waste going to landfill.
Have a question? Ask us here!
Closed
