150 rubbish bins to go from Christchurch parks

IAIN MCGREGOR/The Press

TIDY KIWI: Jaxon Barnes, 3, puts his chip wrapper in the bin at Sumner.

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Move over Garden City and make way for "Garbage City" – that is one response to a decision to remove 150 Christchurch rubbish bins.

People cramming park rubbish bins with household waste have prompted the Christchurch City Council move, expected to trim 10 per cent from the council's annual rubbish bin budget.

Shirley-Papanui Community Board member Aaron Keown slammed the step, suggesting Christchurch be renamed "Garbage City".

The Christchurch City Council has defended the decision, made after a "comprehensive evaluation".

The council would not identify which bins would go, but bins in popular public areas at Sumner were believed to be on the list.

The move would save the council about $55,000 from its $500,000 annual budget.

Council transport and greenspace manager Alan Beuzenberg said a review last year showed about 40 per cent of the rubbish removed from urban parks was household rubbish that should be disposed of through the kerbside collection service.

Last year's evaluation was to ensure bins were in the most effective places and being used for their intended purpose. Council contractors who emptied the bins daily and council contract management staff were involved in the review.

The 150 bins to be removed included those filled with household waste or ones that were "infrequently used", Beuzenberg said.

There were 1362 bins in city parks, with 30 new bins installed in the past year. It cost an average $370 a bin each year to maintain and service them.

Beuzenberg said the council would continue to monitor the issue and "if necessary, bins may be added or removed from locations".

Keown said rubbish was among the council's core business.

"Rubbish is rubbish and it doesn't matter where it's collected as long as it's collected," he said.

"Plus, it all ends up in the same place, so who cares how it gets there."

- © Fairfax NZ News