The suggestion has been included in the council’s draft submission to the Ministry for the Environment about a proposal to transform recycling, which is to be debated tomorrow.
Any requirement for businesses to separate food waste should be phased in based on access to infrastructure for diversion, it was stated in the draft submission.
The ministry proposes food waste be diverted according to a hierarchy.
Food rescue for people in need would be the first priority; then food to be used as animal feed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture; and finally waste that could be composted to reinstate nutrient cycles.
The council’s draft submission said all food businesses should be required to divert food waste.
Businesses that were not focused on food and which existed in towns of fewer than 1000 people could be exempt from requirements, the draft said.
One feature of the ministry’s proposal is a container return scheme, which would complement kerbside recycling by dealing with beverages consumed away from home.
The council signalled support for a proposed refund of 20c per beverage container.
"We recognise a higher refund amount could achieve a greater return but could also potentially reduce affordability," the draft submission said.
"A lower refund amount may not result in the desired outcomes of the scheme."
