Land in Chelmer St, next to the Waitaki Resource Recovery Park, could be where Oamaru people will dispose of their rubbish once the Oamaru landfill closes, some time between 2013 and 2016.
Within the next two months, the council intends to lodge a notice of requirement to designate the site of the recovery park and land to the west of the facility as a resource recovery park and refuse transfer station under the Waitaki district plan.
Solid waste officer Gerry O'Neill said a transfer station would be needed when the landfill closed so that residents, contractors and businesses had a convenient rubbish drop-off point from where it would be transported to a landfill outside the township area.
"Time is running out on the Oamaru landfill, so we need to identify and secure potential sites for a refuse transfer station in Oamaru as early as possible. The Chelmer St site is an option because of its proximity to the current resource recovery park," he said.
A transfer refuse station would be a logical extension to the operations already undertaken at the park.
The council also wanted to secure the future of the current resource recovery park, run by the Waitaki Resource Recovery Trust with council support, he said.
At present, the site was designated a council depot - it was the former Oamaru borough council works depot - under the district plan and required a resource consent to operate.
"Changing the designation will make it easier for the park to continue operating at Chelmer St, which has had strong public support in the past," Mr O'Neill said.
Before lodging the notice of requirement, the council will be seeking feedback from Oamaru residents.
"We want to give affected residents and the wider community an opportunity to ask questions and give us some feedback so we can make any necessary changes to the notice before it is formally lodged," Mr O'Neill said.
A public meeting will be held at the Oamaru Club next Wednesday at 7.30pm for the community to ask questions and discuss the proposal.
The council wants feedback in writing by Friday, October 2.
Details are available from the council's office or its website.
The community will have another opportunity to have its say after the proposal is lodged and then publicly notified.
