Forum Home
PC World Chat
Thread ID: 80139	2007-06-12 23:00:00	Council and their "green" policies...	globe (11482)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
558620	2007-06-12 23:00:00	I live in north shore auckland. Until recently we have been able to buy stickers to stickers to put on bags to identify them for collection on rubbish days. This allowed you to buy paper bags and use the stickers thus meaning one less plastic bag...now they have withdrawn the stickers and you MUST use the council prepaid no biodegradable plastic bags. So i emailed them asking why and this is their response. "The coupons were withdrawn from sale for a number of reasons. People would often put out bags that were larger than Council pre-paid bags and this was creating health and safety issues for the collectors (as they were often heavier). There was also increased animal strike which was creating health issues and litter issues. The coupons were, at times, not easily seen by drivers as, at times, the coupons were hidden from view. In the last few years of the coupons being sold, sales had also decreased over 70%, indicating the majority of users of the Council's service were utilising the pre-paid bags. As noted by you, Council rubbish bags are not bio-degradable. Council took a number of factors into account when choosing bags for the domestic rubbish collection service. While bio-degradable bags have their place and may certainly be helpful when bags become litter, it is not believe they are the most appropriate material to use when the bags are destined for landfill. Modern landfills are lined. Rubbish is quickly buried and sealed beneath capping layers. This creates an environment lacking in oxygen. Organic material that breaks down in these conditions produces methane gas, rather than carbon dioxide. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide over 100 year year cycle. Council prefers to use rubbish bags that are inert in landfill, rather than producing additional methane." Sounds like a cop out to me...	globe (11482)
558621	2007-06-13 02:17:00	Yes, rubbish may produce methane when breaking down, but they could have done what Mercury Energy did at the old Rosedale tip - install a small power station and harvest the methane to burn to generate electricity. I believe, when in use, this produced a good number of megawatts per annum... Possibly not 'core business' for a council, but they could have licenced the dump site (wherever it is now!) to an energy producer and made a few bucks to offset the horrendous rate increases we've had over the last few years!	johcar (6283)
558622	2007-06-13 06:16:00	Wise words, i will email them with this suggestion and see what response comes out...	globe (11482)
558623	2007-06-13 09:17:00	Using the methane gas from the Burwood landfill to heat the pools at QE2 is not only saving heaps for us ratepayers but is also a nice little money spinner for the carbon credits it is earning. See here (www.ccc.govt.nz). Your council ought to have a little chat with our council. ;)	FoxyMX (5)
558624	2007-06-14 02:23:00	Well I submitted Johcar's suggestion to them and this was the response. "In answer to your questions, all our material is taken to Redvale Landfill which does have flares. Council is also currently retendering its refuse bag contract and has asked for provision of prices for bio-degradable bags so that we can make an informed decision." No I am no expert but from what I gather they are saying they already have the system in place yet they still chose to withdraw the paper / bio option ?? Hmmm...skating around the issue i reckon. It is good to see though that they are preapred to look at biodegradable options for the next contract - looking and doing are often worlds apart I have found though...	globe (11482)
558625	2007-06-14 03:15:00	Hmm. 'Flares' are all very well, but there is a big difference between using the methane to generate electricity and just flaring/burning it off!! Doesn't seem to answer the question... but then we are talking about people who work for politicians. I guess the question-deflection-response rubs off... :)	johcar (6283)
558626	2007-06-14 03:36:00	Hmm . 'Flares' are all very well, but there is a big difference between using the methane to generate electricity and just flaring/burning it off!! Doesn't seem to answer the question . . . but then we are talking about people who work for politicians . I guess the question-deflection-response rubs off . . . :) So let me get this right . They told me they woun't let you use the lables as it produces methane and they don't want to warm us up any more . So you must use plastic to stop producing methane . Yet they still take all the rubbish to a tip that burns methane to minimise the release to the atmosphere . Is it just me or can I see a slight contradiction here ??	globe (11482)
558627	2007-06-14 04:23:00	. wastemanagement . co . nz/wam/index . cfm?5CC72C23-7E95-D748-09A2-535F0ECACDC7" target="_blank">www . wastemanagement . co . nz Landfill gas is a valuable source of renewable energy, hence increasing volumes are now being converted to electricity rather than being flared off . Turning the gas into electrical energy significantly reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions . Redvale has installed five, one megawatt generators to produce electricity from the gas . Apart from servicing minimal on-site requirements, all power generated is exported into the national grid, providing enough energy to power the equivalent of 4,000 homes . The resultant reduction in GHG emissions has also provided a commercial opportunity for the company, with some emission reduction credits having been sold to an international energy company . An ultimate capacity of up to 16 megawatts is likely, as additional generators are commissioned over the next 10 to 15 years .	godfather (25)
558628	2007-06-14 04:57:00	The Christchurch MED didn't catch methane in the old days; they burned the rubbish and generated electricity. I think the "waste" heat went to heat a swimming pool. Now the sewage farm is the methane generator. They were running some vehicles on the gas, but they also generate electricity.	Graham L (2)
1