Kerbside Collection Review
Council has provided a kerbside collection service to the residents of Picton and Blenheim since 2009/10. This includes the weekly collection of refuse via official Council bags and the weekly collection of recycling (card, paper, glossies, cans, plastics (1-7) and glass) via a 55 litre open top crate.
The establishment of a kerbside recycling service also saw the development of the resource recovery centre for the processing of source segregated materials into baled product for sale into commodity markets.
This service and infrastructure is now entering its seventh year of operation and a review of the service is therefore appropriate.
In 2017 Council surveyed households using the kerbside collection service in Blenheim and Picton.
The survey was sent to just over 13,000 addresses and 5,400 responses were received.
Results show:
- 74% of respondents have two or fewer people living in their household
- 83% agree the current kerbside refuse collection and kerbside recycling works well
- 73% agree the black bags are the right size and 67% agree the crate is big enough
- 84% put out one bag, or less, each week while 74% put out the recycling crate weekly
- 56% say rubbish bags sometimes burst or get ripped open by animals
- 78% say crate contents get blown around on windy days.
The survey asked about changing the current system:
"What would you prefer for kerbside collection of rubbish going forward?"
- Council bags 36.8%
- Wheelie bins 38.7%
- Don't mind either 23.7%
- Don't know 0.8%
"What would you prefer for the kerbside collection of recycling going forward?"
- Crate only 30.2%
- Wheelie bin and crate 44.6%
- Don't mind either 23.3%
- Don't know 1.9%
"The current kerbside collection system costs $115 per ratepayer per year. What price range costs per year would you be willing to accept for any changes to the existing system?"
No change ($115) 59.4%
- $116 to $130 26.6%
- $131 to $150 10.1%
- $151 to $175 3.9%
Kerbside Collection Survey (Blenheim and Picton) (PDF, 1.7MB)
Council will now work on addressing issues raised in the survey including, but not limited to, the following:
- An education and awareness programme to help people use the kerbside collection service in a way that minimises litter and animal/vermin problems.
- Exploring options where there is an excess of material put out for recycling collection from the kerbside routes, in particular bulk cardboard.
The introduction of wheelie bins and the conversion of the existing resource recovery centre into a co-mingled sorting facility is not being considered in light of the survey responses.
A change of that scale would be more than is currently required to meet the needs of the majority of residents using the kerbside service.
However options for those residents who generate more recycling than can be handled by the existing kerbside service will be investigated.
