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

Plastic Recycling Changes

From Monday 20 May you can only put plastics marked 1 and 2 in your recycling bin. Due to massive changes in the international used plastics market, we are no longer able to take plastic grades 3-7 - these items will now need to go in your general rubbish.

Note: our contractors will also not collect items inside plastic bags.

We can still recycle clean cardboard, paper, glass jars and bottles, tin and aluminium cans as normal.

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

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. 

Why has my recycling been left behind?

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

• The item can't be recycled.
• It's contaminated with food.
• There is a high level of mixed product; recyclable and non-recyclable in one container.
• Your recycling was placed inside a plastic bag.

Reducing waste 

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.

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.