Man putting banana peel in recycling bio bin in the kitchen. Photo: 123RF
West Coast councils are seeking residents' feedback on food and green waste ahead of the mandatory introduction of kerbside collections.
The government announced last May that all district and city councils must provide food and green waste collections in areas with a population of over 1000 people, by 2030.
On the coast, it will apply to Westport, Reefton, Greymouth, and Hokitika, while the smaller towns of Rūnanga and Carters Beach may also be included.
Buller District Council manager infrastructure delivery Eric de Boer said it wanted to understand people's current attitudes and behaviours around food and green waste.
Once completed, the survey will outline the preferred approach for collection, the ideal bin sizes, the optimum collection frequency and processing options for the region.
Grey District Council's solid waste officer Kaia Beal said residents would be asked about their current ways of dealing with food and green waste and their preferences for how it is collected.
He said the more information received, the better the councils could plan for the future.
Westland District Council operations project manager David Louw said food scraps and waste that ended up in general household rubbish was transported to landfills for disposal, creating emissions and high costs for ratepayers.
"Food and green waste collection could be one way to reduce the amount of waste in landfills. However, to make it work, we need to find collection and processing solutions that fit our region; this is why the survey is so crucial."
People can give feedback via their district council's website, local office or library from today, until 29 July.