Fertiliser from poo option touted

People's poo could soon be saving the Queenstown Lakes District Council almost $200,000 a year.

Using the sludge from Wanaka's sewage plant Project Pure as a fertiliser in farms has emerged as the best option to dispose of the waste.

At present the council spends $16,000 a month dumping the sludge in a landfill.

The project has been plagued with problems since it was commissioned in November last year, including producing more sludge than expected and complaints about the smell from nearby residents.

In June council placed an advertisement in several newspapers calling for expressions of interest in the re-use of sewage sludge.

It received eight replies from landowners, consultancies and technology suppliers.

Solid waste manager Stefan Borowy said discussions with the landowners, who owned farms, was in the early stages.

The waste was a nutritious fertiliser and would be good for Otago soils, which were thin and lacked organic matter, he said.

The council and landowners were also working with the Otago Regional Council on consent issues regarding the application of the waste on to farmland, Mr Borowy said.

Details of if or how much council would charge for the sludge had not been decided, he said.

Queenstown Lakes Mayor Clive Geddes said they were pushing hard for a result, as it was a use the community was much more comfortable with.

"The fact that it's being used for agriculture rather than being dumped in a landfill is a much better outcome for everybody," he said.

Progress on the discussions will be reported to a council utilities committee in February.

- © Fairfax NZ News