Recycling - what we collectTe hangarua - ngā mea e taea ana e mātau te kohi

Omarunui landfill takes about 70,000 tonnes of waste every year. If this waste was not compacted and left above ground it'd fill almot two Westpac Trust Sports Stadiums.

But almost half of what is sent to Omarunui could be recycled or composted. Our Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP) adopted in late 2018 aims to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by promoting the Five Rs - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover and Residual Management.

We urge our citizens to be mindful of what they consume and to try to buy items that are not packaged, packaged less or in an environmentally-friendly way. That's at the reduce end. But then we'd encourage you to recycle all that you can.

When is my recycling collected?

We have a fortnight kerbside recycling service. Please make sure your recycling is out by 6.30am on the morning of your collection - and out on the kerbside edge. To find out what day we collect from your house, enter your address into our Rubbish and Recycling Database. 

What containers should I use?

We recommend small plastic crates - fish bins, orchard crates, plastic cube bins -  for your recycling. Large crates and bins, especially if they contain glass, can become too heavy and unwieldy to lift into the trucks.

 Some handy hints for your recycling containers:

• Stackable crates reduce windblown litter and are less likely to blow away
• A hole in the bottom of the crate will prevent it filling with water
• Use sturdy bins that do not break when dropped
• Adding your house number will help identify your bin.

What can I put out for recycling?

We take cardboard, paper, glass jars and bottles, tin and aluminium cans and many plastics. It makes things much easier for us if you sort your recycling into the following three categories.

Why has my recycling been left behind?

If some of your items have been left behind and 'stickered', this could be because:

• The item is not currently recycled in HB.
• It's contaminated with food.
• There is a high level of mixed product; recyclable and non-recyclable in one bag/container. Sorting these would leave a mess and is very time-consuming.

Please note that some items, despite having a recycling symbol on them, may not currently be recycled in Hawkes Bay. Good examples of this include milk and juice cartons, expanded polystyrene (grade 6) and plastic packets i.e frozen vegetable packets.

More information

Our Rubbish and Recycling FAQs should hopefully answer any questions you might have. For more general recycling information go to www.recycle.co.nz.