WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT SO FAR?

RUBBISH

Our Wellington apartment is good in lots of ways being right in the centre of town.


The downside though is rubbish collection. At 4.30AM, every second day I think, two bloody great rubbish trucks come up the street which is more of a lane.

They collect rubbish and recyclables from the high rise apartments opposite us - right outside our first floor bedroom. At Four bloody thirty AM!

I took these photos from the spare room window this morning and sent them to the Wellington Council.
I've been communicating with the council over the last few days about this and querying whether the contractors operating so early are in breach of the District Plan rules.

Here is an excerpt from the not at all helpful response I promptly received.

"Thanks for confirming who the trucks belong to which are making the noise. Unfortunately there is not anything we are able to do in this situation as per the District Plan.
Please see the following information from our Noise Control Team: 

The council’s Trade Waste bylaw requires/allows for waste collection at all hours in the Central area where this address is zoned and daytime collection in the suburbs. Whilst I can understand waste collection can be noisy, by undertaking the task overnight significant traffic disruption is avoided, safety hazards are minimized and conflicts are avoided with daytime parking. Provided the waste contra ctors are taking the best practicable option they have to minimize the effects of noise when they collect waste, this activity is permitted and is not appropriate for the council to regulate against the activity being carried out at these times.Under the District plan the permitted noise limits in the Central Area are also set relatively high, being a compromise between noise-sensitive uses and the commercial sector. These noise limits ensure that the commercial sector is not forced out of the city and, providing apartments are adequately insulated, an acceptable internal level will be afforded to its inhabitants. The district plan now requires new apartment buildings to achieve an appropriate level of noise insulation. Unfortunately, there are a number of apartments that were constructed (or refitted) before the district plan change and consequently, these buildings allow higher noise levels within the building."

                              -  Service Improvement Officer | Customer Service | Wellington City Council


Living in the central city is exciting and handy but there are drawbacks.