Council will introduce a kerbside food waste collection service in 2026 and is asking the community via the draft Long Term Plan if the collection should be just food scraps or a combination of green waste that includes food scraps and garden/lawn trimmings.

The food scraps only collection would be weekly and each household would get a small 23-litre bin, but under a full green waste collection households would get a 240-litre wheelie bin, the same size as the current yellow bin, that would also be emptied weekly.

Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown said Government had mandated the food waste collection by 2027 but the Council's service would begin from September 2026 with the start of a new waste management contract.

“Surveys in the past tell us that residents want a green waste service that also collects organic waste, like garden and lawn clippings, so we have presented two options in the Long Term Plan and people can tell us which one they prefer.”

The smaller 23-litre bin collection would cost each household $0.67 a week and would only take food waste such as meal leftovers, kitchen scraps, expired or sale food, and rotten fruits or vegetables. The 240-litre bin collection would cost an extra $1.38 a week for households and would accept the same food waste as well as garden green waste.

Whatever option is eventually adopted will be provided to all residents already serviced by kerbside rubbish and recycling collection.

Mayor Brown said the green waste collected would be taken to a processing facility in either Timaru or Christchurch and be turned into compost and soil conditioner.

“Whichever service we decide on will be provided to all households in Council’s kerbside collection area and billed through a targeted rate. There will not be a choice to opt out, so it’s really important we hear from as many households as possible.”

Around 43% of what Council collects in rubbish bins consists of organic and green waste and when this is sent to landfill it breaks down and creates methane, a greenhouse gas. Reducing landfill waste and emissions is the Government’s goal, as set out in the national waste strategy.

Council would be able to secure a grant from the government’s Waste Minimisation Fund to help cover the costs of setting up the new service, and use it to buy new kerbside bins and build a storage bunker at the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park.

Group Manager Infrastructure Neil McCann said about 11,500 households received Council’s kerbside rubbish and recycling collection.

“Diverting green waste from the kerbside collection will reduce the amount of waste we send to Kate Valley, and fewer trips to Kate Valley is a saving for the ratepayers.

“Adding a green waste collection also provides the level of service the community has been asking for.”

See all the information about this key topic in the Long Term Plan at ItsOurPlace.nz.