New transitional waste and resource recovery services are on the way for the transfer station sites currently operating at Lawrie Road, Snell’s Beach and Rustybrook Road, Wellsford.
Locals can look forward to these services coming on stream from mid-July 2019.
A change to existing transfer station services is required so that critical remediation works can be undertaken on the closed landfills located at each site.
“From time to time, we need to carry out essential maintenance on closed landfills sites,” says Parul Sood, Programme Director for Auckland Council’s Waste Solutions.
"The remedial works at Lawrie Road and Rustybrook Road are critical to protect the environment and make the sites secure and sustainable into the future."
Three tenderers responded to Auckland Council’s Request for Proposal, released back in January 2019. Since submissions closed in mid-February, a robust vetting process has been undertaken, followed by contract negotiations with two of the three respondents.
Today, Auckland Council announced that Mahurangi Wastebusters would open a new Community Recycling Centre at each of the sites from mid-July 2019, with strong support from residents, ratepayers, local community groups, mana whenua, environmental organisations, and local businesses.
Parul Sood says that Mahurangi Wastebusters secured the two-year transitional services contract because their submission represented the best value for money for ratepayers, as well as closely matching community needs identified through a series of community consultation workshops in October/November 2018.
Mahurangi Wastebusters’ proposed approach will create a step change in local services, while the sites are being remediated, with a shift in focus from waste disposal to resource recovery.
Importantly, this allows Auckland Council to further work towards its goal under the 2018 Waste Management and Minimisation Plan to develop a resource recovery network and create a community recycling centre in the Warkworth/Wellsford region.
“The new Community Recycling Centres will deliver on two key outcomes that the community wanted to see from the transitional services – to ensure services remained affordable for residents and local businesses and that the new services would make it easy for everyone to do the right thing with their waste,” says Beth Houlbrooke, Chair of Rodney Local Board.
Mahurangi Wastebusters’ range of proposed new services strongly aligns with Auckland Council’s goal of achieving zero waste to landfill by 2040, as well as delivering an enhanced community education programme, and providing new employment and volunteering opportunities for the local community.
“Mahurangi Wastebusters has set ambitious landfill diversion targets for the sites that will be good news for the local community and the environment,” says Beth Houlbrooke.
In the first year, they are aiming to divert 50 per cent of materials received from landfill, rising to 65 per cent in 2021, and 70 per cent by 2022. These targets will meet community demands for services that deliver better resource recovery and recycling results, particularly in e-waste, and green waste and composting services.
“The two transfer stations will close on 1 July 2019 to enable the transition to the new service provider to take place,” says Parul Sood.
“Both sites will re-open in mid-July, each as a Community Recycling Centre, with a range of new services rolling out to both residents and small businesses across the area over July and August. Mahurangi Wastebusters’ transitional services will remain in place until completion of the remediation works.”
The introduction of the new services at Lawrie Road and Rustybrook Road will not affect kerbside collection services for local residents. These will continue as normal.
Landfill remediation investigations underway
“Investigations to remediate the closed landfills at both sites are underway, but still to be completed. Once investigations are concluded, a detailed scope will be developed, and Council will then decide how these works will be carried out,” says Parul Sood.
It is estimated that the remediation works will take around two years to complete. The long-term future of the sites will be determined following further consultation with the community to ascertain the long-term needs for waste and resource recovery services.
