Dear Sir/Madam

 

Attached is an acknowledgement of your recent Official Information
Request.

 

Kind regards

Corporate Information 

Hutt City Council

 

Dear Solomon

 

Please find attached the response to your information request.

 

Kind regards

 

Jörn Scherzer
(pronounce as “Yearn Share-tza)
Manager Sustainability and Resilience
Vehicle Fleet Procurement

Hutt City Council, 30 Laings Road, Private Bag 31912, Lower Hutt 5040, New
Zealand
DDI 04 570 3371, EXT 6877  M 021 125 0997,  W
[1]www.huttcity.govt.nz       

 

Jörn Scherzer
Manager, Sustainability and Resilience

Hutt City Council, 30 Laings Road, Private Bag 31912, Lower Hutt 5040, New
Zealand
T 04 570 3371, M 021 125 0997,  W [2]www.huttcity.govt.nz

         [3][IMG]

 

 

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-----Original Message----- 
From: "Solomon Klinger" <[FOI #11100 email]> 
Sent: Friday, August 30, 2019 2:45 PM 
To: "OIA/LGOIMA requests at Hutt City Council" <[Hutt City Council request email]> 
Subject: Official Information request - Types 3-7 recyclable material 

Dear Hutt City Council, 

Hutt City Council: in response to the December 5th 2018 OIA request by
Stephen Hill-Ranger 
When the Hutt City Council was requested to provide information regarding
processes, checks or balances undertaken to check or verify the quality or
success of recycling done by Waste Management NZ (WMNZ) with whom the
Council contracted with to provide kerbside collection services for
recyclables in the Lower Hutt area, the response was simply: “Hutt City
Council has sought assurance from its contractor in terms of the
destinations of collected recyclables.” 

1. We request a copy of this assurance received by the Council from WMNZ
any other relevant material.

The Hutt City Council stated in response to this OIA request that they
have been assured that recyclables are going to receiving facilities that
do indeed recycle and/or manage the materials appropriately. 

 

2. Is this the assurance referred to above? 

3. In regards to the statement “and/or”, if a recyclable is not recycled,
we request clarification on how the materials were being managed
“appropriately” any other relevant material. Again, if separate to the
above communication, I request copies of all communication where such
assurances occurred any other relevant material. 

The Hutt Council also stated on December 12th in response to the OIA
request that they were “currently undertaking a strategic review of its
kerbside collection approach, as the contract for its kerbside recycling
service is coming up for renewal next year.” Further, that “[a]s part of
the next tender process, we will be considering the potential to include
additional reporting and assurance requirements regarding the markets
and/or receiving facilities of collected materials, in order to have
better visibility of the life cycle of collected products.” 

4. In light of the fact that less than three months later it was publicly
announced the Hutt City Council was choosing to pursue an approach of
refusing recyclable materials 3-7, sending these materials to landfill,
what strategies were considered in reviewing its approach to kerbside
collection? I request copies of all communication surrounding this
decision making and any other relevant material. 

5. Did the Council, as stated, actually consider the potential of
including additional reporting and assurance requirements regarding the
markets and/or receiving facilities? If not, why? If so, what conclusions
did the Council make in regards to these considerations? 

In regards to the decision to send 3-7 recyclable material to landfill: It
is stated on the Hutt City Council website as a response to why changes
are being made to recycling that “there have been changes to the global
recycling market with other countries no longer taking plastics for
recycling”. 

6. I request greater clarification behind the reasoning to pursue this
approach. Is it that overseas countries won’t take recyclable material or
that the Hutt City Council is choosing not to? If the latter, please
provide more information which speaks to the reasoning behind the
decision. Ultimately, why was this approach selected as opposed to others;
we request documentation and communication surrounding this decision and
any other relevant material. 

7. Why is the Hutt Council unable to recycle this material when other
councils around the country, for example the Wellington City Council,
continue to recycle these materials? 

On the Hutt City Council website, it states “[w]e are still looking for
another recycling option for [3-7] plastic. These plastics only make up
around 4% of our recycling, so shouldn't add much to your rubbish.” The
issue is that this 4% still contributes over 300 tonnes of rubbish that
the Council will profit from its disposal in the landfill, as opposed to
costs associated with recycling it. 

8. What other recycling options are you currently considering for
materials 3-7? 

I request documentation and any other relevant material supporting that
around 4% of recyclable material previously collected and sent for
recycling was recyclables 3-7. 

9. How much is the Council expected to save annually from sending
recyclables 3-7 to landfill? 

10. What is the budget allocation for the “Let’s sort out waste”
campaign? 

Yours faithfully, 

Solomon Klinger 

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References

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