Zero Waste: Selwyn District Council

Location: Canterbury, South Island
Population: 30,000

Selwyn District stretches from the south western boundary of Christchurch City to the crests of the Southern Alps, 125 kilometres away. The district is 6,500 square kilometres in area, half of which is steep glacial mountains. These mountains descend into rolling foothills which then give way to the broad Canterbury plain where most of the estimated 9,500 households and 30,000 inhabitants of the District live. The population is evenly distributed between rural and urban dwellers. The latter live in approximately two dozen small towns and settlements. There are no cities or large towns in Selwyn District.

Current Solid Waste Management Situation

Despite the large area and relatively small population approximately 75% of Selwyn households have a council kerbside refuse collection.
Approximately 230 kg of municipal solid waste per person per year is landfilled. This figure is low compared with other districts. It does not include inert fill and landfill cover material.
Approximately 80% of landfilled waste originates from the council’s refuse collections.
The council operates four landfills and in addition disposes of some waste at Metro Refuse in Christchurch City.
Selwyn’s refuse collections currently offer householders a choice of a wheelie bin or refuse bag collection, except for the high country villages, where other arrangements apply. Contrary to popular opinion, the wheelie bins have not caused a massive increase in waste quantities. Selwyn’s solid waste quantities are very low. The wheelie bin option will allow the Council to maintain control of the residential solid waste stream for the time it takes to plan and implement serious waste minimisation measures. Within the next two years it is highly likely that most of the wheelie bins will be used for a mixed garden/kitchen organic collection.
Refuse collections are financed by a separate refuse rate on serviced properties plus a refuse charge for each wheelie bin and the sale of refuse bags from Council Service Centres and other retail outlets. Sale of refuse bags is preferred to an annual delivery of a quota of bags because it provides a positive financial incentive for householders to reduce the amount of refuse they leave out for collection.

Waste Management Plan And Zero Waste Policy

Selwyn District Council adopted a Solid Waste Management Strategy in 1997, a Solid Waste Management Plan in 1998 and a Zero Waste Policy in August 1999.

Zero Waste was a major policy decision. It commits the council to a target of zero waste to landfill by 2015. There is provision for a review in 2010 to allow the council to re-evaluate the target with respect to its obligations under the Local Government Act.

The Council’s Zero Waste policy eliminates the status quo or token recycling as future options and it points the way to intensive waste diversion as the means of achieving the policy goal.

Implementation Of The Zero Waste Policy

Ways and means of implementing the policy are being investigated. One proposal, that looks very promising, is a three stream kerbside refuse collection, operated in conjunction with a resource recovery park. This will realistically divert more than 50% of the residential waste stream and ultimately possibly up to 70% or 80%.

The three collection streams will be:

Garden and kitchen organics via a 240 litre wheelie bin.
Recyclables including paper via a crate.
Residual waste via a refuse bag or small wheelie bin.

The resource recovery park will include:

Recycling and resource recovery areas for drop off, storage, bailing, display and sales.
A composting drop off area with a shredder and an in-vessel composting unit.
A residual waste transfer area with a compactor unit.
Temporary storage for metals, timber car bodies, inert fill, waste oil, and compost.

Although implementation of effective waste minimisation strategies will require a complete reorganisation of the council’s waste management system, there is a political will within the council to plan for implementation as soon as reasonably possible.

As at November 2002, the Council is finalising the purchase of land for a district resource recovery park situated in the Rolleston area. Investigations, planning and development of a concept proposal for the park are under way.

Canterbury Regional Landfill

Selwyn’s existing landfills do not meet modern environmental standards and are only consented to operate until June 2003. Other councils in the region face a similar problem.

As a result, six of ten Canterbury councils, including Selwyn District Council, have formed a 50/50 joint venture with two private enterprise waste companies to investigate, establish and operate a new regional landfill. This landfill will be designed and operated to USEPA Subtitle D standards. The Memorandum of Understanding on which the partnership is founded includes waste minimisation as an objective.

It is likely that Selwyn’s landfills will close before the regional landfill commences operation. In the interim, Selwyn’s waste will be diverted to Metro Refuse in Christchurch City.

Other Initiatives

Selwyn District Council is working with other councils in the Canterbury region, on solid and hazardous waste management and waste minimisation issues and initiatives. These councils have formed a Joint Standing Committee as well as a Waste Subcommittee, a Hazardous Waste Working Party and a Waste Minimisation Working Party, to advance waste management objectives on a regional basis.

For further information contact Dave Hock at or call 03 324 5841.