Waste not, want not – Thomson eyes new rubbish and recycling model for Hamilton
Hamilton mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson says it’s time to rethink how the city delivers its rubbish and recycling services, and believes collaboration with other councils to deliver services in-house may be the way forward.
“We must look at how we deliver core services more cost-effectively for ratepayers.
“Right now, an overseas-owned company delivers Hamilton’s rubbish and recycling services, with profits going offshore,” Thomson says.
“Our contract with EnviroNZ (formerly Envirowaste) ends in 2028, so now is the time to start looking at whether we continue outsourcing or pursue a new way of working,” she says.
“With the market for waste management in New Zealand largely dominated by two players, I’m not convinced having a contract with a major firm is the best deal for Hamilton.”
Thomson says it’s worth exploring whether bringing services in-house, and collaborating with neighbouring councils to create economies of scale, could save money in the long run.
“Essentially, it’d mean running our own fleet of rubbish and recycling trucks, hiring staff directly, and managing the Lincoln St Transfer Station.”
“We won’t know if we can do it cheaper until we look into it properly,” Thomson says. “I’m proposing we start that work now, and test the waters with our neighbours to see if they want to partner with us on it.”
Thomson says another benefit of an in-house, shared-service model would be greater flexibility.
“Right now, the council has little say over how rubbish disposal is priced.
“I’ve pushed for smaller weight bands at the transfer station to ensure people are charged fairly, but we don’t have control over this.”
“I want to see the council have greater control over how we charge, and do it in a way that’s sensitive to the cost of living pressures that people are facing.”
She adds that making changes to rubbish and recycling services — such as offering the option of a larger red bin — is costly and complex under the current contract.
Thomson, who is a West Ward Councillor and chairs the Strategic Growth and District Plan Committee, is a strong advocate for shared services and says the council has already seen cost savings from working together.
“We’ve already got some good partnerships in place,” she says. “It makes sense to build on them and collaborate to save money in other areas.”