The Queenstown Lakes District Council today (Monday) released an audit which it initiated last year into the administration of its waste contract, QLDC chief executive Duncan Field said.

"In 1999 the Council entered into a 30-year contract for landfill operation and this was a timely review of the first five years" Mr Field said.

The report was considered by the Council's utilities committee last week.   Following that meeting utilities chairman, Councillor Chris Blackford said the audit was generally favourable.

"It gives us confidence that the arrangement has worked to our advantage, so far, although some procedures need to be tidied up," Mr Blackford said.

The report fell into two parts, Mr Field said.

"The first part deals with a range of matters that have arisen that either have or will be resolved (see issues below), and the second concerns some advice that the reviewers gave us about policies for the future," he said.

Matters relating to things like, ownership of the waste and charges required further investigation to be part of the general advice that Council had available to it when these matters came up in the future.

Issues raised by the report, requiring immediate attention, had been dealt with as follows:

1. The Council has employed a waste minimisation officer and that role will be enlarged, as the report suggests, being the single person responsible for all aspects of solid waste management;
2. Urgency is being given to acquiring the information systems that the report has identified are necessary;
3. Council is already well down the path of implementing recycling initiatives, including kerb side recycling. This should address the concern regarding the current limit of 40,000 tonnes per annum entering the landfill.
4. The perceived conflict within the ownership of Scope Enterprises and Imtech is close to being resolved.
5. Inert construction and demolition waste is no longer entering the landfill as alternative arrangements have been put in place by the waste minimisation officer.
6. The utilities committee has asked that the waste management strategy be modified by bringing forward the project to divert commercial organic waste (scrap food etc) to this year.
7. Record keeping issues in the report have been resolved with the contractor.

Mr Field disagreed with one aspect of the report, which questioned the decision to undertake the Victoria Flat landfill as a joint venture with the Central Otago District Council.

"While the unexpected growth in both districts has put pressure on the landfill we have a long tradition of working together with CODC and I am sure we can address this issue" he said.

Had the option of a partnership with CODC not been available it was possible the landfill cost, at the time, would have been crippling for QLDC residents.

ENDS

For further information contact Duncan Field 03 441 0499

By: Tamah