Source: Porirua City Council
A public refuse transfer station in place of Porirua’s Spicer Landfill has been identified as the preferred way forward when the landfill closes in 2030.
Porirua City Council’s Te Puna Kōrero Committee today considered four options, before landing on one to progress to the next stage of planning.
Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said it was clear from public consultation that the community wants to keep access to local waste services, and that retention of Trash Palace is important.
“The option selected today allows for both these things, as well as being the most cost effective,” she said.
Spicer Landfill is nearing the end of its life, with a resource consent that will expire in 2030. As it is unlikely that a new resource consent would be approved, decisions need to be made about what happens next with waste disposal.
Earlier this year, Porirua City Council asked the public for their views on four possible options. The goal was to select which option should be fully scoped and then consulted on in more detail as part of next year’s Long-term Plan.
Three of the options involved various types of public refuse transfer station, and the fourth was to close the landfill with no replacement service.
At the moment, the public drop rubbish at a refuse transfer station at Spicer, and it is buried within the landfill grounds. When the landfill closes, a refuse transfer station would mean people drop rubbish on site as usual, but it is taken away and buried elsewhere.
The three transfer station options varied as to who they would service – option A was public only, option B was the public and heavy vehicles, and option C was the public, heavy vehicles and clean fill disposal.
The majority of submissions were in favour of retaining a refuse transfer station of some kind, with 70 per cent choosing options A, B or C, and 24 per cent opting to close the landfill with no replacement service.
Of the transfer station options, A was the most popular, meaning the transfer station would be for public use, accepting disposal from cars, vans, trailers and small/light trucks only . This option was the most cost effective. It also meant that Trash Palace and the bulk recycling facility could stay on site, providing valuable waste minimisation services.
Based on community feedback and other factors, option A was found to provide the most effective balance between maintaining access to local waste disposal services, minimising costs, and preserving opportunities for on-site waste minimisation and diversion.
This will now be scoped in more detail for consultation as part of the Long-term Plan in 2027, when a final decision on the future of waste disposal at Spicer Landfill will be made.
The committee also passed a chair’s recommendation from Councillor Geoff Hayward that the Long-term Plan consultation includes a programme of waste minimisation initiatives, to support a transition towards a low waste system.
“It has become very clear through this process that the wider region must seriously engage on a more strategic discussion about the future of residual waste,” said Mayor Baker.
“If ever there were a candidate for Councils to be closer aligned on an important issue, this is it.”