It’s time to to talk trash - and more specifically, making less of it.

Public consultation on the draft Waste Minimisation and Management Plan 2024-30, for the Waitaki District, begins on Monday (January 29).

The plan is the guiding document for how the district manages its waste and recycling. It is reviewed every six years to reflect changes in environmental standards, regulations and the needs of the district.

The plan considers how the Waitaki community creates and deals with the refuse and recycling to better protect our environment and reduce the impact of waste.

Council waste minimisation officer Lucianne White said everybody needs to be mindful of what they do with their rubbish.  

“Dealing with trash, or making sure we create as little as possible, is something we all need to get behind: as individuals, households, schools, businesses, councils and government.

“It’s time to make sure that we don’t leave a mess for future generations to clean up.”

The council is in the process of rectifying mistakes of the past, where previous dumping sites were at risk of being washed out to sea, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said.

“Once upon a time we dumped our rubbish right next to the coast. Now, we’re literally paying the price, with millions of ratepayers’ dollars needed to repair the situation. 

“The sea is eating into the old Hampden landfill and two places on Beach Road where there is danger of the dumped rubbish getting washed into the ocean.

“We’ve got to look to the future and do what we can to minimise and manage our waste responsibly.”

The 2023 national waste strategy, Te rautaki para, is a vision for a low-emissions and low-waste New Zealand. It proposes changes to how councils collect waste to achieve this.

While the new Government has yet to review Te rautaki para, and agree to continue with its proposals, Waitaki District Council is using the strategy as inspiration to plan for better waste solutions.

The draft waste plan focuses on four areas to meet future demands for waste solutions - more leadership and collaboration in communities, better engagement and education around waste and recycling, potential infrastructure and waste collection requirements, and how to monitor and regulate waste minimisation and management services.

The consultation document, feedback form, and a draft version of the plan can be found on  the council website with hard copies available at council offices and Waitaki District libraries.

There will also be drop-in sessions for people to come along and talk with elected members and the Solid Waste Team. These will be advertised on the Waste Free Waitaki and Waitaki District Council Facebook pages.