Dunedin City Council has lodged a resource consent application to operate a new landfill as its current one comes to the end of its life.
file photo Photo: Creative Commons
The application submitted to the Otago Regional Council today includes consents to discharge to air, water and land from the proposed site at Smooth Hill.
The site is to the south of the city and was one of more than 30 sites investigated in the early 1990s. It was designated as a landfill in 1995 following public consultation.
Early last year, the council said it may have to resort to exporting its rubbish in coming years due to a lack of planning and foresight. The Smooth Hill site could take close to a decade before it's ready.
For the past two years, detailed investigations have been carried out to assess whether the Smooth Hill site remained appropriate for a modern landfill site. That work concluded it was still suitable.
The council's acting chief executive Sandy Graham said it was important the community was informed about entering the statutory process.
"This means there are rules around what we can say and do," Graham said.
"We know some residents have concerns about the Smooth Hill site becoming a future landfill. Our application includes robust reports from independent experts who have considered all these issues and we believe have covered off the key concerns."
The council acknowledged the city would need a way to dispose of some waste for years to come despite aiming to be a zero waste city.
The regional council will now determine affected parties and the notification status as part of the consent process.