Karamea Landfill to celebrate installation of brand-new weighbridge

Buller District Council, the Ministry for the Environment, WestReef and the Karamea Waste Management Group (KWMG) are putting the finishing touches on some of the major investments that have recently gone ahead at the Karamea Landfill.

The Karamea Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre has been undergoing upgrades since 2022, with the most recent development being installation of a weighbridge at the landfill, which is expected to be completed in middle of April 2024. A new site office was installed on site last year.

The weighbridge project encompasses the purchase, installation and integration of the weighbridge so the amount of refuse received and disposed of in Karamea can be recorded accurately and appropriately charged for.

Council’s solid waste coordinator Juliana Ruiz says: “The weighbridge will allow council and WestReef 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 has a total cost of $250,000 and is funded by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) 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 ($105,000).

Ms Ruiz says: “A big benefit for the Karamea community is that users will be charged more accurately for 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.”

Customers will be required to drive into the landfill, remove any recycling in the designated zone, and then drive over the weighbridge to record their vehicle’s initial loaded weight, go to the landfill and dispose of their waste, and finally, come back out over the weighbridge so their vehicle’s empty weight can be accurately recorded on the way out.

During the initial stages of weighbridge operation, customers will continue to be charged using the volume-based process, so in effect there will be no changes considered on the fees and charges until July 2025.

Throughout the initial period, the quantity and volume of rubbish being dumped will be recorded, which will help inform the charges going forward. Council and the KWMG will work together determine the new gate fee prices by weight after this period.
The intention is to then consult on the fees and charges as part of the forthcoming Long-Term Plan community engagement.

“We are thrilled that these projects have come to fruition. They are the result of in-depth project planning stages carried out over the last year involving the MfE, council, WestReef Services Ltd and the KWMG,” says Ms Ruiz.

Please note, the Karamea Landfill will be closed on Wednesday 10 and Friday 12 April to allow the weighbridge installation to be completed.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Eric de Boer
Manager of Infrastructure Delivery
Eric.deBoer@bdc.govt.nz