Waipā recycling centre has been tipped up by rogue recyclers
Some of Waipā’s recycling collection is being trucked to Hamilton and Auckland for sorting to relieve pressure on the Te Awamutu sorting centre.
The pressure created by excessive contamination – residents putting non recycling rubbish into their recycling collection – is creating challenges, Transportation manager Bryan Hudson told the Service Delivery committee this week.
Bryan Hudson
Staff must remove refuse from the recycling but have fallen behind. A short-term measure was to truck unsorted materials north.
A year ago, The News reported bags of blood, human faeces, pig heads, and dead cats had been found in the recycling collection.
Despite the publicity, the problems have continued – not helped by a driver shortage post Covid.
The driver shortage has been solved but the replacements have missed some streets which has led to a drop in resident satisfaction with the recycling service.
Hudson said they had upgraded the software system and database that guides truck drivers around their routes and employed more Waipā based contract management staff.
They were also doing routine bin auditing at the kerbside.
A new Waste Minimisation team leader starts with council this month and will put more time into overseeing the recycling contract.
