A CO-OPERATIVE EFFORT TO ENABLE MACKENZIE DISTRICT TO ACHIEVE ZERO WASTE TO LANDFILL
Joanne Koppel, VCU Technology Ltd, Auckland (e-mail: [email protected]) Geoff Hemm, Solid Waste Manager, Mackenzie District Council, Twizel (e-mail: [email protected])
Abstract
With 3 700 permanent residents spread over an area of 7,450 km2 and seasonal population surges due to a thriving tourism industry, Mackenzie District Council (MDC) faces a number of challenges in the establishment of a waste minimisation programme. However, this has not deterred MDC from committing to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2014. This has resulted in the closure of all landfills, the opening of three resource recovery parks and the implementation of New Zealand’s first fully source-separated kerbside collection.
These initiatives have come about through collaboration between Council, the local community, DOC and Ashburton Wastebusters. VCU® Technology Ltd has also had involvement in these initiatives, with the installation of an in-vessel composting facility at the Twizel Resource Recovery Park. This system plays a key role in MDC’s waste management initiatives, enabling nearly half of the waste stream to be diverted from landfill and converted into a valuable resource.
The resource recovery parks obtain their waste from kerbside collection, and delivery to the parks by commercial enterprises, including DOC waste collection, which services the Mt Cook village. In order for these initiatives to succeed, strong leadership from Council and committed involvement and support from the local community are required. This has been tackled in a number of ways, from the employment of local community members to run the resource parks, to the establishment of a waste education service based on the Wastebusters Education Programme. Innovative methods to encourage community involvement included a local competition to name the VCU®, the monthly awarding of prizes to those presenting their waste in the most compliant form and the production of regular newsletters to reinforce the need for residents to separate their waste.
1.0 Introduction
1.1 The Mackenzie District
The Mackenzie District is home to 3,700 permanent residents, spread over an area of 7,450 km2. The geographical size creates a significant transport component for any waste collections held within the district, with only a small base of ratepayers to meet these costs. The population also swells significantly over the summer months with an influx of tourists to the region. The population increase creates seasonal surges in waste volumes, with a significant portion of that surge generated by non-ratepayers.
Page 1 of 9 The first step towards sustainable waste management practices was undertaken in 1996, with the preparation of a Waste Management Plan (WMP). This document was prepared to comply with national legislation, with its main focus on waste minimisation. The WMP identified a number of broad objectives to achieve this purpose: