Karamea Landfill’s new waste charges to take effect on 23 July 2025

With the completion of a series of significant improvements at the Karamea Landfill, new waste management charges will come into effect on Wednesday 23 July 2025.

Buller District Council, the Ministry for the Environment, WestReef Services Limited and the Karamea Waste Management Group have been implementing upgrade projects at the Karamea Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre since 2022.

A new site office was set up in 2023, and a new weighbridge was installed at the landfill in April 2024. A new recycling drop-off facility has also been purchased and installed by the Karamea Waste Management Group. The facility has been in operation since March 2025, streamlining the recycling process for both users and staff.

Group Manager Infrastructure Services Anthony Blom says: “Integration of the weighbridge from 23 July 2025 will mean that the amount of refuse received and disposed of in Karamea can be recorded accurately and charged appropriately. The new fees and charges to be implemented at the landfill from 23 July have been consulted on with the community as part of the 2025-2034 Long-Term Plan community engagement.

Users will be charged more accurately for disposal of their refuse. The weighbridge will allow us to charge consistently for the weight of the waste, instead of calculating by volume, which is the current method.”

The new charges to be implemented from 23 July 2025 are as follows:

The weighbridge will allow council and landfill operator WestReef Services to provide stakeholders with more precise data relating to the waste being disposed of at the Karamea Landfill. This will enable better future planning and management of the landfill.

The Karamea Landfill weighbridge project cost a total of $291,000 and was funded by the Ministry for the Environment through their COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund (CRRF) ($100,000), and Waste Minimisation Levy Fund ($45,000), and a contribution from Buller District Council through Karamea ratepayers ($146,000). The new recycling drop-off facility was purchased and installed by the Karamea Waste Management Group.

“These projects are the result of in-depth project planning carried out by the four organisations since 2022, and it is great to see them completed and in active service” concludes Mr Blom.

The KWMG was formed in 2013 and works together with the council. Its aim is to improve the overall management of waste and recycling in the Karamea area.

Background information

Council manages three waste management zones in the Buller District. The area north of the Mōkihinui Bridge, including Karamea, belongs to Zone two.

There is no kerbside collection in Zone two, refuse is disposed of at the Karamea Landfill, which is operated by council’s contractor, WestReef Services Ltd. The Karamea Landfill and Recycling Centre is for the exclusive use of residents living in this rural area.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Community Engagement Team
Buller District Council
Media.Enquiries@bdc.govt.nz 

Disclaimer
The information in this media release was correct at time of publication. Changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information.