Owhiro Bay News - October 2021
Kia ora koutou 👋.
Upcoming Events
Landfill extension – Mayoral Meeting
Hosted by Ōwhiro Bay Residents Association.
- What: Public meeting
- Date: Thursday 21 October
- Time: 5pm – stream walk to see the impact of the landfill on Ōwhiro Stream, 6pm – meeting
- Place: Ōwhiro Bay School Hall
You’re invited!
Ōwhiro Bay Residents Association invites you to attend a public meeting at Ōwhiro Bay School about the Southern Landfill extension with Wellington Mayor Andy Foster and Council officers. The Landfill will be reaching capacity in the next 4 years and there is a conversation going on about whether to extend it or close it and how to dispose of residual waste.
We want you to be part of the conversation.
We had a win earlier in the year with the Long Term Plan proposing to stop burying sewage sludge in the landfill, and with the proposed landfill extension being taken off the table until now.
Council officers have now come back and presented an options paper to councillors on 24 August: Wellington City Council - Briefing: Residual Waste Disposal.
They will also be presenting the Strategic Waste Review on 14 October. There appear to be five choices that the WCC Infrastructure Subcommittee are considering for the future of the Southern Landfill. They are calling these choices “Residual Waste Disposal Options”:
Ōwhiro Bay Residents Association invites you to attend a public meeting at Ōwhiro Bay School about the Southern Landfill extension with Wellington Mayor Andy Foster and Council officers. The Landfill will be reaching capacity in the next 4 years and there is a conversation going on about whether to extend it or close it and how to dispose of residual waste.
We want you to be part of the conversation.
We had a win earlier in the year with the Long Term Plan proposing to stop burying sewage sludge in the landfill, and with the proposed landfill extension being taken off the table until now.
Council officers have now come back and presented an options paper to councillors on 24 August: Wellington City Council - Briefing: Residual Waste Disposal.
They will also be presenting the Strategic Waste Review on 14 October. There appear to be five choices that the WCC Infrastructure Subcommittee are considering for the future of the Southern Landfill. They are calling these choices “Residual Waste Disposal Options”:
1. Closing the Southern Landfill and sending residual waste elsewhere.
2. Building a Waste to Energy Plant. This would mean waste would not be landfilled but instead turned (usually burned) into ash, which would generate energy. High cost, large scale, seen as discouraging waste minimisation and won’t necessarily reduce local environmental effects. 30% would still be landfilled.
3. Building a ‘Dirty’ Material Recycling Facility (MRF). Takes mixed curb side waste and sorts into different streams of recycle materials. Requires high investment and operations costs and the rubbish would need to be cleaned. Significant material, 50%-70%, would still be landfilled.
4. Building a Mechanical Biological Treatment. Similar to a MRF but, in addition has a biological treatment capability such as bio-drying, composting or anaerobic digestion. Suitable where there is a high level of organic waste. Requires high investment and operations costs and hasn’t been consented in NZ. Significant material, 50%, would still be landfilled.
5. Expanding the Southern Landfill. Creating an additional landfill in Carey’s Gully in a designated site ’piggy-backing’ on the existing tip and where composting currently takes place. This is a smaller extension than that proposed in the ‘phase 4’ plan. This will be usable for another 15 years.
What do we think?
Our view on the ŌBRA committee is that these options should not be viewed as an ‘either/or’ situation.
WCC officers may be thinking that extending the landfill will buy them another 15 years before they need to come up with a solution. But in accordance with Wellington’s zero-waste plan they should be designing solutions now to move us towards re-use and recycling.
Closing the landfill may or may not be currently feasible as the waste would just have to be sent to other landfills, but we must move in that direction.
Cr Laurie Foon has requested that the subject of residual waste is discussed not in a void but along with plans for moving Wellington towards zero waste, and that is why the Strategic Waste Review will be presented by council officers alongside these options in a WCC briefing on 14th October. It will form the basis of public consultations from November.
When we receive the papers hopefully on 7 October we will publish it on our here on our website.
Please come to the meeting and have your say! Please register by dropping us an email owhirobayresidentsassoc@gmail.com or by responding on Facebook.
This is particularly important if we have to limit numbers or move some of the event online.
2. Building a Waste to Energy Plant. This would mean waste would not be landfilled but instead turned (usually burned) into ash, which would generate energy. High cost, large scale, seen as discouraging waste minimisation and won’t necessarily reduce local environmental effects. 30% would still be landfilled.
3. Building a ‘Dirty’ Material Recycling Facility (MRF). Takes mixed curb side waste and sorts into different streams of recycle materials. Requires high investment and operations costs and the rubbish would need to be cleaned. Significant material, 50%-70%, would still be landfilled.
4. Building a Mechanical Biological Treatment. Similar to a MRF but, in addition has a biological treatment capability such as bio-drying, composting or anaerobic digestion. Suitable where there is a high level of organic waste. Requires high investment and operations costs and hasn’t been consented in NZ. Significant material, 50%, would still be landfilled.
5. Expanding the Southern Landfill. Creating an additional landfill in Carey’s Gully in a designated site ’piggy-backing’ on the existing tip and where composting currently takes place. This is a smaller extension than that proposed in the ‘phase 4’ plan. This will be usable for another 15 years.
What do we think?
Our view on the ŌBRA committee is that these options should not be viewed as an ‘either/or’ situation.
WCC officers may be thinking that extending the landfill will buy them another 15 years before they need to come up with a solution. But in accordance with Wellington’s zero-waste plan they should be designing solutions now to move us towards re-use and recycling.
Closing the landfill may or may not be currently feasible as the waste would just have to be sent to other landfills, but we must move in that direction.
Cr Laurie Foon has requested that the subject of residual waste is discussed not in a void but along with plans for moving Wellington towards zero waste, and that is why the Strategic Waste Review will be presented by council officers alongside these options in a WCC briefing on 14th October. It will form the basis of public consultations from November.
When we receive the papers hopefully on 7 October we will publish it on our here on our website.
Please come to the meeting and have your say! Please register by dropping us an email owhirobayresidentsassoc@gmail.com or by responding on Facebook.
This is particularly important if we have to limit numbers or move some of the event online.
Finally...
Joining ŌBRA, signing up for the newsletter, keeping an eye on this website and Facebook page – these are you best options for keeping up to date with what’s happening in our community.
