Residents protest Canterbury landfill plan

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

A North Canterbury community plans to fight plans to create a landfill near their homes.

Protest organiser Mike McCaleb said about 100 people marched from Southbrook in Rangiora to the Waimakariri District Council lawn in High St last weekend, to oppose the managed fill landfill at White Rock.

Environment Canterbury and the Waimakariri District Council have jointly notified resource consent applications from Christchurch-based Protranz Earthmoving Ltd, meaning the public can give feedback on the proposal.

But McCaleb said it was a frustrating process.

‘‘Protranz announced they wanted it put to public submissions all along, but if we hadn’t spoken up, it wouldn’t have got the same attention.
‘‘I am happy to engage in the process, but the way the process works I feel it favours the rich submitters.’’

McCaleb said residents were concerned about the potential environmental damage to the Karetu River, which feeds into the Okuku River, and then the Ashley/Rakahuri River.

About a dozen properties use the Karetu River for stock and drinking water, and the rivers are used for fishing and recreation.

‘‘Mahinga kai and asbestos don’t mix,’’ he said.

Increased truck movements is another concern, particularly trucks carrying asbestos and other contaminants to the landfill.

McCaleb encouraged people to make a submission, with a submission guide available on the website whiterock.org.nz.

Protranz is seeking to restore the Whiterock Quarry, at 150 and 174 Quarry Road, North Loburn, to near its previous landform, by filling it with managed fill, building and demolition waste and contaminated soil material, including asbestos.

Protranz founder Gerard Daldry said a class 3 managed fill landfill couldaccept construction rubble and contaminated soils up to a certain level.

‘‘Basically what you’d find if you dig up some land on your own property."

Daldry said asbestos ‘‘is inert - as soon as it is in soil it can’t go anywhere, and it can’t hurt you’’.

‘‘Chances are, you may have soil contaminated with asbestos in your own backyard.

‘‘We’ve had engineers come in and do all the technical assessments and their reports show there is an extremely low risk of harm to the environment.’’

But Protranz would take extra precautions, by placing the material in the landfill on top of a thick plastic liner designed for a class 1 landfill, such as the Kate Valley Landfill.

‘‘It means the stuff won’t leach."

Daldry said there would be about 12 truck movements to and from the quarry each day, about the same as at the existing quarry.

Consent applications have been lodged with both Environment Canterbury and the Waimakariri District Council.

The Waimakariri District Council’s Rangiora-Ashley Community Board has also expressed its opposition, with the council approving $10,000 funding to allow the board to seek professional, legal and technical advice.

Submissions close on October 9.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.