Editorial: Fruits of our labour

OPINION: The keen recyclers of the Timaru district should take a bow.

After three years of carefully sorting rubbish and dividing waste in accordance with the Timaru District Council's three bin system, the first uncontaminated compost is rolling off the production line at the Redruth transfer station.

The milestone has taken three years to reach because, up until now, the compost from the green bins has contained arsenic. The arsenic got into the compost from the ashes of treated timber which residents had been dumping in the compost bins.

After a ton of publicity the ashes dumping has stopped, and the compost is now all cooked, has a clean bill of health and is ready to go.

Residents can now head out to the Redruth recycling centre and – and here's the catch – buy their compost back. They can purchase compost in handy 20 litre or 40 litre bags, for $5 or $10 respectively. Those with access to a trailer can buy the rocket fuel for plants for $25 a scoop or $50 for your average trailer load.

Hang on a minute. Does this mean that ratepayers are now effectively buying their own compost back?

Is that the same compost that they have paid the council, through their rates, to take away? Aren't they buying something they already own?

Yes indeed they are, and there are likely to be more than a few people out there who will be feeling a little miffed about it.

There is no doubt the three bin system is a winner. It is easy, convenient and it makes residents feel as if they are doing their bit to cut down on waste going to landfill. In the world of rubbish, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and the Timaru system is so good the people of Christchurch have copied it. Only the most determined of grumblers would argue that the system is not a good thing.

Of course the council – being a pragmatic organisation – has to make the system pay and this is obviously factored into the decision to charge for the compost that results from the end of the recycling process. Being pragmatic doesn't necessarily make you popular.

If residents follow the rules and do the right thing, there should be some sort of incentive for all the good work. Being charged $50 for a trailer load of compost that is the fruit of your labours does not seem fair. How about some sort of voucher or coupon system to mark the event by making the first load of compost free for every ratepayer? How about one free load a year? Compost addicts who can't get enough of the stuff can pay for their extra fix.

It won't cost the earth and will go a long way to making sure the good stuff coming out the end of the recycling process remains arsenic free.

- © Fairfax NZ News