Tuesday 28 April 2020 will see New Zealand’s response to Covid-19 move from Level 4 lockdown to Level 3. This will bring some changes as to how we manage solid waste across the Buller District during the time in Level 3.
Kerbside Collection
Kerbside rubbish and recycling collection will continue as usual throughout the District under Level 3 as it has done so under Level 4.
All recycling, except glass, will be disposed of to landfill until the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) reopens again. Smart Environmental is working with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of the Environment on continued guidance as to when it is safe to restart the Material Recovery Facilities across the region.
Transfer Stations
Both the Westport and Reefton Transfer Stations will be open to domestic customers for essential waste and green-waste disposal only. Transfer stations will be operational during their normal business hours.
| Transfer Station | Days of operation | Hours |
| Westport | Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday
Sunday |
9.00am – 4.00pm
9.00am – 1.00pm |
| Reefton | Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday | 1.00pm – 4.00pm |
| Transfer stations are closed on all public holidays. | ||
The Reefton Transfer Station will be open from Tuesday 28 April, while the Westport Transfer Station will be open from Wednesday 29 April.
Access into the Transfer Station will be managed by Smart Environmental staff who will record the details of everyone who accesses the transfer station for purposes of evidential contact tracing, should this be required by the Ministry of Health.
Access will be limited to one customer at a time and only one person per vehicle will be allowed.
Only EFTPOS or Paywave will be accepted for payment. There will be no cash handling.
Customers may experience delays due to restricted access on to the site. To help minimize any unnecessary risks to both the staff and the public, we encourage all customers to consider delaying any non-essential trips to the transfer station until New Zealand moves into Alert Level 2.
Another alternative is for customers to arrange contactless collection by a commercial waste company who will be able to take waste to the transfer station on their behalf.
Recycling drop-offs
There will be no recycling drop-off facility available during Alert Level 3 at the transfer stations, except for glass which can be dropped into the designated glass bin at the transfer station gate.
Karamea & Maruia Landfill sites
The Karamea and Maruia landfills will continue to be open during their normal operating hours under Alert Level 3. Payment will continue to be by invoice only. The landfill supervisor will take contact details for each customer on arrival for billing purposes. Customers are reminded that, for the safety of everyone, physical distancing rules will apply at these sites.
For further information regarding transfer stations, kerbside collection or for commercial waste drop-offs, please contact
Alan Corbett
Smart Environmental Ltd
Operations Manager Westport
Phone 027 889 5263
Email ACorbett@smartenvironmental.co.nz
