by Helen Martin
Protestors fight the tip
Around 100 people attended a meeting in the local hall held in Helensville in July to protest private company Waste Management’s plan to establish a large landfill site on 1020ha of farm and forestry land in Dome Valley, north of Warkworth, with the intention of burying half of Auckland’s household and commercial waste there. It is proposed that the new landfill would replace the Redvale Landfill and Energy Park in Dairy Flat, which is predicted to reach capacity between 2026 and 2028. The meeting was followed by a large protest hikoi in Auckland city on Friday 17 July.
The issue has attracted a lot of media interest, including from TNNZ’s Breakfast, TV3’s The Project and TV1’s Te Karere. Objections to the proposal focus on contamination of waterways like the Hoteo River and the Kaipara Harbour, the threat to many endangered species (native) including the unique and very rare Hochstetters frog, and predicted traffic hazards - the proposal includes up to 300 truck/ trailers per day transporting waste to Dome Valley on SH 1.
The deadline for making a submission on the tip proposal has been extended. Information can be found online at: https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/ResourceConsentDocuments/02BUN60339589FAQ.pdf
For more information on how to make a submission see the Facebook page Fight the tip, Save the Dome.
