Report: TR2008/09 

Author: Waste Not Consulting

Abstract

Under Local Government Act (2002), local territorial authorities are responsible for promoting waste management and waste reduction practices.  Pursuant to its responsibilities under Section 286 of the Act, in 2005 South Waikato District Council (SWDC) adopted a Waste Management Plan. 

The Plan makes provision for the collection and reduction, re-using, recycling, recovering, and treatment or disposal of waste in the District and provides for the Plan’s effective and efficient implementation.  In its Waste Management Plan, SWDC sets a strategic target of a 30% reduction of the waste stream by the year 2011, measured against 1999/2000 baseline levels.

The Waste Management Plan recognises that: “To set effective policy and measure success, Council needs accurate, reliable information about current waste trends, and measuring success in achieving goals requires sound baseline information and a commitment to continue monitoring.  Council obtains information by carrying out surveys of waste streams using Waste Analysis Protocol (WAP).”

South Waikato District Council’s main waste infrastructure asset is the Tokoroa Landfill.  The other major policy document relating to solid waste in the District is Council’s Landfill Asset Management Plan, adopted in 2006.  This Plan describes how the landfill will be managed to support the well-being of the District’s population, as determined through the Long Term Community Plan process. 

The Asset Management Plan provides for monitoring of the Waste Management Plan target, and states that: “the accuracy of the data and waste composition need further refinement and this will be achieved through Waste Audits to better determine waste compositions and further modification to measurements of waste volumes.”

To further the objectives of these Plans, in 2007 SWDC commissioned Waste Not Consulting to undertake a waste composition survey of material disposed of at the Tokoroa Landfill, using a procedure based on the Ministry for the Environment’s Solid Waste Analysis Protocol.  With financial assistance from Environment Waikato, the survey was undertaken in November 2007.  The results of the survey are presented in this report.

Solid Waste Audit of Tokoroa Landfill [PDF, 779 KB]