Issue 2: What should the Future of the Levin Landfill be?

Waste disposal is a problematic issue for most councils 

No one wants to live near a landfill. At the same time, we live in a consumer society that generates waste that needs to be disposed of in a way that does not adversely affect the environment.

As a district, we need to decide on the Future of the Levin Landfill this financial year. Operations at the Landfill are currently 'suspended' until Council makes a decision on the future of the landfill. In 2019, the Levin Landfill Agreement set out a formal review of the landfill closure date. From November 2021 to the end of January 2022, we consulted with you on three options for closing the landfill. That consultation process should have offered a broader range of options - not just ones to close the landfill. It should also have been connected to the Long Term Plan, which would have made it more transparent about the ongoing implications of each option.

What is the current status of the Levin Landfill?

The Levin Landfill is on Hōkio Beach Road, between Levin and Hōkio Beach. It’s next to an old, unlined landfill that operated from the 1970s to 2004. The modern, lined landfill opened in 2004 and the consents expire in 2037, or sooner if the consented capacity is reached. The landfill used to also accept waste from the Kāpiti district.

On 31 October 2021, the landfill stopped accepting all waste while we decided its future. The landfill has not opened since this date.

What happens to our waste?

Council provides Solid Waste (rubbish) disposal facilities for residents and visitors to our district through a kerbside bag collection service and provides Waste Transfer Stations in Foxton and Shannon. When we closed the Levin Landfill, all our waste was diverted to Bonny Glen Landfill near Marton. Our sewage sludge from the Levin Wastewater Treatment plant is also disposed of here. Council’s long-term plans for waste minimisation and disposal will be determined though the review of our Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP).

What are the issues with the Levin Landfill? 

The Levin Landfill is a Class A landfill. It is fully lined and all the leachate is directed to the wastewater treatment plant for processing. This means that it does not have the same negative impact on the environment as the old landfill. However, it is becoming less financially sustainable, which has an impact on the wider community through rates.

• We’ll need help covering the costs to keep it open. Council does not collect enough waste to justify keeping the landfill open, so we’ll need to accept waste from elsewhere to help cover the costs. This waste could be either in or outside our district from private waste collectors, large businesses or from other local authorities.
• We’re sending less waste to landfill. Waste volumes to landfill per person are predicted to decrease in the future. We expect more waste will be recycled, composted or repurposed. This could be spurred on by new legislation the government is considering, meaning you couldn’t send green waste, like kitchen scraps, garden clippings and even paper to landfills.
• Landfills are becoming more expensive. Government levies and Emissions Trading Scheme costs are making it more expensive to dispose of waste in landfills which will assist in diverting more waste from landfills.

More information about the objectives for the future of the landfill and other criteria options were assessed against are available in our Consultation Document.

You can find the full assessment in Appendix A of the Business Case, available on our website. Based on that assessment, we’ve chosen the following three options for you to consider:

Option 1 – Keep Levin Landfill closed with no alternative site use

This option continues the current situation – the Levin Landfill is closed and will stay closed. However, our district will keep producing waste that will need to go to a landfill in another district – at the moment, our waste is going to the Bonny Glen Landfill in the Rangitikei district.

Under this option, we’ll keep up the compliance requirements: regulated repairs and maintenance, including capping with additional clay cover, weed control, grazing and mowing. The well-established forestry will also need ongoing maintenance and harvesting.

Cost: This is the most expensive option, at $1.6 million per annum – $500,000 per annum more than Option 3. This budget covers transport and disposal of waste elsewhere and maintaining the landfill.

Rates impact: There will be no change to rates – the current budget has factored in this option.

Option 2 – Keep Levin Landfill closed with revenue generated from alternative site use determined through the WMMP development (Council's preferred option)

Like Option 1, the Levin Landfill will remain closed but we will also look at how we could use the landfill site for something else. We would still need to pay for transporting our waste out of the district and would still keep up the necessary inspections, maintenance and other compliance requirements.

We’re exploring a number ways we could use the site. The options that most aligned with our strategic objectives for alternative uses are:

• Clean fill – materials like clay, soil or rock that won’t impact the environment
• Native plant nursery
• Local resource recovery park
• Local or regional-scale processing facility for organic material
• Local or regional-scale processing facility for construction and demolition (C&D) material

All of these options have a much smaller impact on the environment than the current landfill – some would have no negative impacts and others, like the native plant nursery would help repair the area. A number of these options could also help offset some of the cost of sending waste out of the district. See the business case for other lower ranked options.

If we choose Option 2 through this LTP Amendment consultation, a further decision will be needed about how to use the site. We’ll consult you about the alternative uses, which would align with our review of the Waste Management Minimisation Plan.

Cost: Less than $1.6 million per annum

Rates impact: This option would probably see a drop in rates but not immediately. We don’t know the exact figures right now as it depends on what the site is used for, if this option is selected. To give you an idea, if the chosen alternative use generates $500,000, it will reduce rates by $32.80 per household. If the alternative use generates revenue the rates needed to pay for the ongoing maintenance of the site will likely be less than Option 1. If Option 2 is chosen, we’ll calculate by how much each alternative use will impact rates and share this with you for further feedback.

Option 3 – Reopen Levin Landfill until its consent expires in 2037

This option would see the Levin Landfill reopened, and used to dispose of our district’s waste until the consent expires or until it reaches capacity.

This is Council’s least preferred option – we know the ongoing negative effects the Levin Landfill is having on our community and our environment.

Cost: $1.1 million per annum - The total cost of option 3 is $500,000 per annum less than option 1. This is based on the assumption that the landfill will receive a total of 30,000 tons of waste per annum. This is the industry standard for landfill financial viability. Note this is 25,500 tons per annum more than Council currently collects and sends to Bonny Glen. - The cost difference may be bridged with alternative site uses, such as the ones presented in Option 2, but it is unlikely alternative use would fully bridge the gap (based on experience in NZ).

Rates impact: $500,000 would represent a rates saving of $32.80 per household.