Starting 1 July, Porirua residents will benefit from reduced fees for disposing of green waste at Spicer Landfill, with a decrease of 23%. However, fees for general waste will see a 13% increase. These changes were decided in the latest meeting of the Wastewater Treatment Plan and Landfill Joint Committee.
The Council says, the fee increase for general waste is influenced by rising operating costs, a forthcoming 20% hike in the central government’s waste levy from 1 July, and the addition of charges for new air monitoring equipment at the landfill.
David Down, Porirua City Council Manager for Water and Waste, highlighted the environmental and community benefits of the new green waste pricing. “We hope this will lead to even more people using Spicer as a way to dispose of green waste, where most of it is mulched on site and then taken to a composting facility. The remainder left on site is used to help establish green cover over areas of the landfill not being used,” he said. From July, the fee for a van or trailer load of green waste will drop from $37 to $28.50.
Councillor Geoff Hayward, Chair of the Committee, expressed satisfaction with the ability to lower green waste fees in a time of general cost increases. “In times when costs are increasing across the board, it’s not often that we as a council get the opportunity to put fees down, so this feels like a double win—for both the wallet and the planet,” Hayward stated.
Further decisions regarding fees and charges for other council services will be finalised during the Long-term Plan deliberations scheduled for June. These decisions are critical as the council continues to balance operational needs with environmental responsibilities in Porirua.