Forum looks into waste management

More than half of the material dumped in Otago landfills from kerbside collection is organic waste, mainly food scraps.

It has emerged as a focus point for action from a report commissioned by the Otago Mayoral Forum.

Other issues flagged in the Eunomia Research and Consulting report include distance to reprocessing facilities for materials such as glass and soft plastics, a low rate of reuse of demolition waste and upgrades pending for recycling infrastructure.

Just over 55% of kerbside rubbish in the Otago region in 2020 was organic material.

This fuelled a problem with greenhouse gases, as the main source of biogenic methane emissions from the waste sector was anaerobic decomposition of organic waste in landfills.

The forum includes Otago’s five mayors, local authority chief executives and the Otago Regional Council’s chairman.

Dunedin is to introduce a separate food waste collection service next year and Queenstown Lakes is considering it.

Clutha had indicated an interest in working with other councils for kerbside organics collection and Central Otago was looking into the possibility of collecting food waste with green waste at the kerbside.

Otago Mayoral Forum chairman and Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan said that a lot of material was sent to landfills, despite people trying to reduce waste, reuse material or recycle.

"For Otago, waste and recycling challenges are magnified by our large area, small population and large distances between population centres and to national waste facilities," Mr Cadogan said.

"If we are to better manage our own waste, we need to work harder than most."

Reprocessing infrastructure is often located in the North Island.

Eunomia Research and Consulting said construction and demolition waste was an issue in Queenstown Lakes, Central Otago and Dunedin.

"While some recovery is occurring, most construction and demolition waste appears to be sent to some form of landfill disposal."

Recycling infrastructure in Otago was "problematic".

The Queenstown materials recovery facility was overdue for replacement and Dunedin’s was due for an upgrade.

Te Runanga o Otakou spokesman Edward Ellison said an integrated values system was required, recognising connections between land, water, sea, air and people’s welfare.

"As mana whenua of the region, Kai Tahu have long expressed the view that poorly sited and dysfunctional waste management systems pose a serious threat to the cultural values of whanau, hapu and iwi."

Mr Ellison said Ngai Tahu joined the forum in "encouraging the interest and engagement of all communities in finding better solutions to waste management in the region".

--  grant.miller@odt.co.nz