Reefton residents are wary of the potential risks associated with a ‘mountain of rubbish’ if a Chinese waste-to-energy plant is granted consent to store bales of rubbish in the West Coast town. Renew Energy Limited filed a resource consent with Buller District Council on Jan 19, 2019, to store 132,000 one-tonne bales on the edge of Reefton. The waste will be used to fuel a waste-to-energy plant proposed for Westport.
Residents are increasingly concerned about the company’s uncertain plans. They fear that the company may abandon the waste if it fails to get resource consent to build the plant. As of yet, there is no resource consent application to build the plant, but the company is proceeding with plans to store large amounts of waste regardless, leaving the community in a state of uncertainty and concern.