Council opts to cancel food scraps service

Published on 10 March 2025

Following a request by Mayor Andrew Tripe to revisit the decision for a rates-funded kerbside food scraps service, Whanganui district councillors have voted to cancel plans after reflecting on community feedback – and central government’s decision not to go ahead with a mandate of the service.

Some councillors acknowledged it was a tough decision to make – and one that had been complicated by the reversal of the Ministry for the Environment’s planned mandate for councils across New Zealand to introduce the service as part of the National Waste Strategy.

The mandate would have meant councils across the country would be obliged to introduce the service regardless of their community’s views on the issue.

However, on 18 December 2024, central government announced the proposed food scraps service mandate would be removed – which Mayor Andrew Tripe says compelled this item to be revisited but also put Whanganui District Council in a tricky position.

“When this mandate was first signalled, we were one of the few councils not to have kerbside recycling (which was also set to be mandated), so we believed combining kerbside recycling and food scraps collections into one contract would minimise costs to our ratepayers. Getting in early also meant we were successfully able to apply for government funding to further minimise costs to local ratepayers.”

Mayor Andrew Tripe says due to these factors, by the time this mandate was withdrawn, the council had already negotiated a contract for the delivery of the service and work was well underway for the service’s rollout.

“Given the contract was in place, the number of sunk costs, and the fact that diverting food waste from landfill is the right thing to do, we were initially inclined to continue with plans for the service. But given the mandate being scrapped and after reflecting on strong community feedback for and against the service – we’ve decided this new targeted rate is unaffordable and unjustified for many of our community.”

Mayor Andrew says council officers have now been directed to confirm the cancellation with the contractor and negotiate a final variation of contract.

“Given the fact preparation for the service was already underway, there will be some sunk costs that we’ll need to compensate our contractor for. Our discussions on this matter with the contractor have been positive.”

Mayor Andrew says despite the cancellation of the service, Whanganui District Council still takes the food waste issue seriously and will be considering other options to help the community divert food scraps from landfill including education and opting to use local providers.

“The food waste issue isn’t going away, but there are other ways we can tackle it. One of our decisions during the meeting was that we would actively work with our local community to encourage more education around composting and food storage. Ultimately the best result is to avoid wasting food in the first place.”

Mayor Andrew says although he’s happy with the outcome of the extraordinary meeting, he’s disappointed that at times the discourse around the food scraps issue has resulted in council staff suffering abuse.

“This has become quite an emotive issue – and I understand people get upset about local issues, but I’d ask people to remember these decisions rest with elected members – not council staff. So please treat council staff with respect and consideration when you interact with them.”