Education around recycling in Invercargill needs to be accellerated, some councillors said yesterday.
The WasteNet Reserves, Education and Enforcement report was provided to Invercargill City councillors during an infrastructure committee meeting.
Committee chairman Cr Ian Pottinger had previously requested advice on WasteNet’s education and enforcement programme.
Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark said it was a sad indictment on this council and other councils "that we haven’t got into this educational stuff".
"I’m not picking on anybody in particular; I’ve been party to it as well — but it needs to happen and it needs to happen quickly," he said.
The framework provided in the report states the plan by 2035 is that all residences and businesses would better understand waste management.
"It does not take eight years to educate people on WasteNet about recycling. We’ve got to do much, much more than that and way quicker."
Cr Trish Boyle said now was an opportune time to get recycling education resources into schools as the curriculum was being refreshed.
Cr Pottinger said it felt like Groundhog Day, and recalled the same issue around education being discussed with WasteNet in 2012.
After the report was moved, Mr Clark raised a point of order that a great deal of discussion had been had about the delivery framework timetable which had been approved to go to WasteNet although he didn’t know why that was done.
"It’s just got a whole lot of ideals. If we put that through as the major stakeholder in this game, that’s what we’ll end up with at the end of the day and we’ll start with nothing. We’ll go on a journey like we’ve been for the last 12 years."
Cr Pottinger said the contract with WasteNet might need to be re-examined to decide who was responsible for education.
WasteNet is a joint venture between ICC and the Southland and Gore District Councils to deal with the region’s waste.
