The News reported in February that residents wanted to know when the transfer centre would reopen
Cambridge’s transfer station is unlikely to be opened anytime soon and operator Envirowaste says the Matos Segedin Drive facility needs a major safety upgrade first.
The transfer station closed last August.
Waipā District Council, which gave Envirowaste $26,700 annually to support the station being open for longer hours in response to historic community demand, wants to know when it will reopen. The council is not paying the money to Envirowaste while the station is closed.
In a statement, the council said councillors were getting feedback from the community who assumed the council was responsible for the facility.
Council’s group manager – Service Delivery, Dawn Inglis said council would review its Waste Minimisation and Management Plan in 2023, which will take a holistic view of the need for, and delivery of, all waste management services across the district.
Inglis said staff had been in contact with Envirowaste and there was no update on reopening at the present time.
“We understand that Envirowaste are taking a business case to their board about reopening options. They have not yet provided a timeline of when we will receive the information.”
Envirowaste communications manager Georgie Hills said the company was keen to work with the council to find a sustainable solution.
“Historically, the site handled relatively low volumes of the community’s recycling and rubbish, however we know people valued the service it provided close to home,” she said.
“Keeping people safe on our sites is a key focus for us and we’ve been open about the fact the site requires a major safety upgrade.
“Since it closed, we have been exploring options for reopening the facility on a safe and commercially viable basis, taking into account expected usage and the current economic environment.”
No timeline for reopening has been set yet, she said.
“We applaud the community’s commitment to recycling and waste minimisation and acknowledge the efforts of local residents who have switched to alternative facilities.
“We apologise for the inconvenience and will provide a further update once we have more information to share,” said Hills.
Residents can use the neighbouring Waste Management Te Awamutu Waste Transfer Station at 2 Daphne Street or the Resource Recovery Centre on Lincoln Street in Hamilton.
