Decision on organics site Wednesday

The smelliest part of organic waste processing in Bromley could move off-site from July, with the entire operation ending in 2027, should Christchurch city councillors agree with a staff recommendation on Wednesday.

Councillors will consider five short-term solutions to the stench coming from the publicly-owned, but privately contracted, organics processing plant at the December 6 full council meeting.

The staff recommendation could reduce the risk of objectionable and offensive odours to nil, and is the most environmentally friendly option, according to a staff report published ahead of the meeting.

A permanent solution will also be decided on Wednesday, but councillors are doing this behind closed doors due to commercial sensitivity.

The five short-term options on the table range from just adding another outdoor screen to the existing plant, to moving the entire operation.

Council staff recommend a mixed solution, where Living Earth (owned by Waste Management) continues operating in Bromley but only for the first stage of the processing process, done indoors, and the rest is done at the Kate Valley Landfill in North Canterbury.

An assessment of this option found the risk of offensive and objectionable odours in Bromley would be nil, since there would be no outdoor storage.

It also produced the least greenhouse gas emissions of the five options, and was the most popular solution selected by Christchurch residents overall during public consultation earlier this year.

It would cost an additional $32 million over five years, the report said. Only the option to only add another outdoor screen cost less, with the rest of the options ranging from $37m to $166m.

After the first stage of processing, Waste Management would transport the organic waste to Kate Valley Landfill and do the rest there. Getting this option up and running – including getting a new resource consent for the landfill – could potentially be achieved by July 2024, the report said.

Staff wanted to change the council’s contract with Waste Management (which expires in January) to make this happen. According to the report, the other options on the table would likely require the council to go to market, adding between six and 12 months to the timeline. However, the option is not without risks. A technical report by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research, part of a public submission to council on behalf of the National Public Health Service and Te Whatu Ora Waitaha, said there could be capacity issues on the Bromley site at times.

The technical report said without a contingency plan for equipment malfunction, there could be stockpiles of waste on the site.

In response, Living Earth said it was confident Kate Valley would resolve capacity concerns. It also said equipment malfunction was historically associated with the screening stage of the operation, which would no longer happen in Bromley.

Councillors are expected to vote on a permanent solution during the closed door section of Wednesday’s meeting, and the council believes it could operational from January 2027.

The decision will be released publicly later on Wednesday.