After receiving $3.3 million in Covid-19 Shovel Ready Funding to complete remediation of the closed Fox Glacier landfill, Westland District Council began work in December 2020 to clear the remaining waste and prevent any further spillages from the site.
Chief Executive Simon Bastion advises, “the work to clear all of the rubbish has taken time, but it is now complete and there is no waste remaining at the closed landfill site. 15,750 tonnes of waste has been removed to Butlers Landfill from this site. Alongside this we completed another sweep of the Fox River bed and we were able to provide employment Covid-19 impacted people over 6 months in an area that has been hard-hit by the loss of tourism and is suffering economically. This has helped people to stay in the area who might otherwise have left.
We have also tagged the remaining funding to open a new cell at Butlers landfill that will give us another 15 years of average rubbish removal. This new cell is currently out for tender and we expect to make a decision on this in May.”
ENDS
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Emma Rae, Strategy and Communications Advisor