Frequently
Asked Questions
(FAQs)

Council considered various local vendors and options with advice from EnviroNZ. Here is a simplified list of where different items will be sent to:

• Glass bottles and jars – via VISY Recycling NZ to OI smelters in Auckland;
• Tins and cans – to a local scrap metal dealer;
• Paper and cardboard – to OJI Fibre Solutions and manufactured into paper and cardboard products;
• Food waste – Hampton Organics composting facility where it will be turned into compost for use by fruit and vegetable growers;
• Plastics – will be recycled onshore with various local contractors. Some plastics will also be recycled offshore;
• Residual Rubbish – Hampton Downs landfill in North Waikato.Glass, aluminium and steel will all be recycled within New Zealand.

Have a look at our Bin-Fit page to see normal collections.

There can be various reasons as to why your collection was missed.

Double check your bin was ready for collection: Did your rubbish bin have a tag? Was your driveway clear? Was your bin lid fully closed (i.e. not overfilled)? You can use our Bin-Fit page to see why it may have been missed and what steps to take next time.

Report your missed collection at your earliest convenience: If you know your bin was ready but wasn’t emptied, please ring us on 0800 926 732 or fill out our online form here to report a missed collection.

Leave your bins out: Make sure you leave your bins out until further advised by our team. There are a few new routes and you may be affected by this i.e. your bins are now collected later in the day than before. Our drivers also need to take breaks for health and safety reasons (as with all similar jobs) so keep in mind that your bins can be collected any time between 7am and 7pm. You’ll also notice that sometimes our drivers collect bins on one side of the street first and then return later in the day to collect the other side of the street.

You can download the Antenno App (it’s free and no login required) to be reminded which day to put your bin out. Just search “Antenno” on your app store, or go here for more information.

You can check the side of your yellow lid recycling bin for your collection day and week. Once you have that information, please refer to your collection day calendar to work out which week you need to put out your yellow lid recycling bin.

If you received a coloured tag attached to your bin, this means our Kerbside Coach (bin inspector) has inspected your bins. The Kerbside Coach randomly checks bins to educate our residents on how to recycle better.

There are three different tags:

Green tag – Well done! Our Kerbside Coach was impressed with your bins.
Yellow tag – There’s room for improvement. Have a look at our bin fit page to see where you can improve.
Red tag – It seems like there has been extreme or deliberate contamination. Until your recycling has improved, your bins will not be collected.

We have various resources you can refer to: our item finder, kerbside rules  and education pack.

We have a dedicated page that includes a list and map of retailer locations here.

The rating charges cover all costs associated with the services, apart from your rubbish bin collection service.

By implementing a pre-paid system, each household is only paying for the rubbish they generate – providing a financial incentive for people to reduce their waste.

At this stage Council does not sell the tags online however we will remain responsive to any future developments. You can buy the tag online with some of our retailers. To see a list of retailers, head to our PAYT page.

New PAYT tags look and work the same way – but they are a slightly different shape, material and design to the existing tags.

The new PAYT tags are sturdier, especially for wet and windy weather, reliably break off when needed and are harder to copy. The design is very similar to luggage tags.

No, older tags will continue to be valid. But we ask that people use their old tags before the new style, so we can clear them from the system.

No – we don’t want to waste any PAYT tags, so the old design will be used.

1. Write your address on the tag
2. Feed B end through the black and red handles on side of bin
3. Open the cut at B and feed A end through
4. Lock your tag in position at C
5. Place bin facing the kerbside by 7am on your collection day

We received some helpful feedback from the community about flaws in the initial design.

People found it would get detached and lost in poor weather, and not break off and fall into the truck when the bin is emptied as it should etc.

The tag was tested in heavy rain and at wind gusts up to 80km per hour.

All PAYT tags have an allocated space for you to write your address on it. Anyone attempting to use a stolen tag at a different property will be caught out.

The new PAYT tags also have a watermark that shows up only when the tag has been copied.

People doing the wrong thing will be easily identified.

Theft is a crime, and if the theft persists, you may wish to notify the police.

There are also a few things that you can do to discourage would-be PAYT tag thieves.

• Write your address on the new PAYT tag in the allocated space.
• Make sure your bin is in a highly visible spot where it’s easy to see if someone tampers with the PAYT tag.
• Put your bin out on the morning of collection (by 7am to ensure you don’t miss pick up).

Manufacturing of RFID bin tags is not yet one hundred percent failure-free. Today about twenty five percent of RFID tags used in Wheelie Bin RFID pilot schemes have been defective.

This is because RFID transponders fitted to bins become damaged during usage. This results in a read failure which in many cases is difficult to detect and becomes a business issue when payment for service is not recorded due to a faulty transponder.

Poor weather conditions and improper placement can also corrupt the reading which may introduce read errors.

There are also issues when many bins are situated close together. When they pass within range of an RFID reader, the reader can accidentally record multiple charges to one address.

Security and privacy Issues can also be a problem. It’s difficult to stop unauthorised persons from reading or writing data stored on or transmitted from transponders.

Flattened cardboard, paper, egg cartons, plastic bottles and containers with the numbers 1 & 2 in the triangle, tin cans and aluminium cans.  You can also place number 5 plastics in our bin (ice cream tubs etc). However, if you aren’t sure which bin your item goes in, check out our handy sorter to see which bin it goes in.

Glass bottles and jars (all colours). Lids cannot be placed in the glass crates. They will need to be removed and discarded in general rubbish. Bottles and jars smaller than 50mm x 50mm also need to go in the rubbish because they are too small to be sorted effectively.

The same goes for glass containers larger than 4 litres, which are too big to be processed on automated sorting lines.

However, if you aren’t sure, check out our handy sorter to see which bin it goes in.

Yes, bins are weather and animal proof (including a lockable lid on the food scraps bin), and can therefore be stored outside or inside.

No, households will receive the default set of bins (see below) and no larger bins will be available. Households are encouraged to use all the bins provided to minimise their waste. In addition to this, Council’s community recycle centres will still be open to receive excess glass and cardboard boxes too big for the kerbside recycling bins.

Full service households:

• Rubbish bin: 140 litres
• Mixed recycling bin: 240 litres
• Glass recycling crate: 45 litres
• Food waste/kitchen scraps lockable bin: 23 litres

Partial service households:

• Rubbish bin: 140 litres
• Mixed recycling bin: 240 litres
• Glass recycling crate: 45 litres

Yes! Extra bin sets can be ordered at the same cost as the first set. Additional glass crates can also be ordered, at a cost of $50 a year.

Yes, you can now place number 5 plastics in your yellow lid mixed recycling bin.

Number 5 plastics include:

• Ice cream containers
• Yoghurt containers
• Margarine tubs
• Jam and honey containers
• Dips and hummus tubs

To see what plastic grade your item is check the recycling triangle at the bottom of your packaging to find the recycling number. If there is no number or you’re unsure if it can be recycled, please place in your red lid rubbish bin if no other re-use option is available.

If you’re unsure what item goes in which bin try our item search function.

We are not collecting soft plastics (plastics such as cling film and plastic bags) as we cannot process them for the recycling market.

Please throw your soft plastics away in the red rubbish bin or try to repurpose the items.

There are also collection points for soft plastics at selected Woolworths, The Warehouse, New World, Pak’nSave stores and other locations in the Bay of Plenty. These are approximately the size of a street litter bin and are in place for customers returning to the store to deliver their soft plastics. However, they are not set up to receive commercial volumes

You can apply for a bin set with this form here.

Yes, each bin has a maximum weight. Please do not overfill your bins as they will not be emptied. You can find each bin’s maximum weight below:

• Red lid rubbish bins: 40kg of household refuse
• Yellow mixed recycling bins: 40kg of mixed recyclables
• Blue glass crates: 20kg of glass
• Green food waste bin: 15kg of food waste.

We do not collect shredded paper for recycling because it tends to fly everywhere and is challenging for sorting machinery to separate from other recycling.

Individual smoke alarms can go in your rubbish bin. They only become hazardous waste in large quantities. (Every cubic metre of New Zealand soil, on average, contains naturally occurring radioactive material equivalent to about thirteen smoke detectors.) But make sure you take out the battery first! Batteries can be recycled at a Council recycling centre, at Athenree, Katikati or Te Puke, or a Council service centre.

Takeaway coffee cups go in the red rubbish wheelie bin. There is currently no standard for ‘biodegradable’ and ‘compostable’ materials, so some will break down while others won’t. This includes wax and plastic-lined paper cups, which are made of more than one material, making them difficult to recycle. Think, if it’s used to contain liquids, hot or cold, it’s not recyclable.

Bottles, jars and containers smaller than 50mm x 50mm need to go in the rubbish because they are too small to be sorted effectively. For example, small medicine, perfume and cosmetic bottles, spice jars, lids and caps, and small takeaway sauce pottles.

There are several reasons why you need to wash glass and plastic bottles and containers:

• Any remaining contents can contaminate other recyclables, like paper
• It can be a health and safety hazard for people sorting them
• Food and drink remnants can attract pests, such as vermin and insects

Plain brown paper bags are preferred, as the inks in newspapers and other printed materials often contain heavy metals and/or microplastics and we want to keep these out of the food chain.

Steel and aluminium aerosols go in your rubbish bin. Most recycling plants in New Zealand don’t have the safety equipment needed to compact aerosols in a way that prevents fires and ducts any fumes out of the building. Aluminium aerosols can also lower the overall value of an aluminium collection, so it’s best to leave them out.

Vacuum cleaner dust can contain non-organic materials, such as microplastic fibres from nylon and polyester carpets, and other debris that doesn’t compost, so it needs to go in your rubbish bin.

Lids, caps and tops go in the rubbish bin, for a number of reasons:

• They are too small for recycling plants to sort successfully
• Liquid or food left in closed bottles and containers can contaminate recycling
• They are often a different grade of plastic from the bottle/container

*An exception is lids or caps that are tethered to the container. You can leave them on if they are an accepted material, and they should be left open. This includes steel tin lids (ends) if they are still partially attached. You can also put these inside the tins and squeeze the top of the tin closed.

Many plant pots are black or dark plastics, which are difficult for optical technology to sort correctly, so they shouldn’t go in your recycling bin. They can also be dirty and contaminate other recycling. The good news is many garden stores, including Mitre 10 and Bunnings, operate drop-off recycling schemes.

Liquid paperboard (LPB) cartons, for example Tetra Pak, can not be recycled in your yellow kerbside bin, as they are challenging to sort. However, there are LPB drop-off points at Te Maunga Recycling Centre, Waihī Service Centre and the Waihī Transfer Station.

Aluminium foil and trays should also go in the red-lid rubbish bin, as their size, shape and weight means they are often unable to be sorted by machinery. Food residues left on them can also contaminate other recycling.

Most tea bags currently sold in New Zealand are partially or wholly made of

plastic, including plastic adhesives, so please put them in the rubbish. We don’t want these microplastics making their way into composts, soils and the environment.

We don’t collect soft plastics, such as bags, wrappers and and cling film, because they can cause problems at recycling plants by getting tangled up in sorting equipment. The Packaging Forum collects soft plastics through drop-off points in supermarkets and other locations.

A full service

is for those deemed within our Urban area and will receive the following bins:

• Rubbish bin: 140 litres/30kgs (can be collected weekly with a pay-as-you-throw tag)
• Mixed recycling bin: 240 litres/30kgs (fortnightly collection alternating with glass recycling)
• Glass recycling crate: 45 litres/10kgs (fortnightly collection alternating with mixed recycling)
• Food scraps lockable bin: 23 litres/14kgs (weekly collection)

($166- please refer to FAQ no 4 for more information on charges)

A partial service

is for those deemed within our Rural area and will receive the following bins:

• Rubbish bin: 140 litres/30kgs (can be collected weekly with a pay-as-you-throw tag)
• Mixed recycling bin: 240 litres/10kgs (fortnightly collection alternating with glass recycling)
• Glass recycling crate: 45 litres/10kgs (fortnightly collection alternating with mixed recycling)

If you are ineligible for the new Council contracted kerbside rubbish and recycling collection service you will not have an additional annual targeted rate added to your rates invoice and your rubbish and recycling will remain your responsibility.

For these households, please use Council’s community recycling and greenwaste centres as they will remain operational.

If you have a current private waste operator that provides a door-to-door onsite collection you may continue this contract or, if not, please contact a private licenced operator.

Council will remain responsive to any future development in the District and look at extending the services where viable and cost effective. If you would like this Council contracted kerbside rubbish and recycling collection service in the future please contact us.

There will not be an opportunity to opt out. The kerbside rubbish and recycling collection service is rates-funded and bins will be rolled out to each eligible household in the District. If the service is not used you will still be charged an annual targeted rate, just as for libraries, swimming pools etc.

The bins and crates will be provided for no additional charge.

The cost for the kerbside recycling collection service is included as an annual targeted rate on your rates invoice – $166 for full service and $106 for partial service.

The rubbish collection service will be charged through our $4.30 pay-as-you-throw tag you attach to your rubbish bin for collection.

If you are ineligible for the new Council contracted kerbside rubbish and recycling collection service you will not have an additional annual targeted rate added to your rates invoice.

Rubbish and recycling will remain your responsibility.

If you have a current private waste operator that provides a door-to-door onsite collection you may continue this contract or, if not, please contact a private licenced operator.

Rural roads receiving the new kerbside rubbish and recycling service has been based on the current green/red bag end of driveway service by the private sector. The viability of servicing these roads has already been determined and this includes looking at health and safety aspects such as safe turn-around for trucks.

Council will remain responsive to any future development in the District and look at extending the services where viable and cost effective. If you would like this Council contracted kerbside rubbish and recycling collection service in the future please contact us.

Only full service areas will receive the weekly food waste collection. Partial service residents can compost food waste and kitchen scraps or feed it to chickens or pigs.

Council will continue to deliver home worm composting workshops for residents who want to create their own soil conditioner with kitchen scraps. Meat, bread and other food scraps can be recycled with the weekly urban food waste collection.

If you are ineligible for the new Council contracted kerbside rubbish and recycling collection service you will not have an additional annual targeted rate added to your rates invoice.

If you currently have a green/red bag service at the end of your driveway and our system shows you are not getting a service please contact us.

Council will however remain responsive to any future development in the District and look at extending the services where viable and cost effective. If you would like this Council contracted kerbside rubbish and recycling collection service in the future please contact us.

The kerbside rubbish and recycling collection service is designed to divert household recycling and glass from landfill and provide for household quantities of rubbish. If you have a greater level of recycling or waste generation, then you may need to approach a waste operator and arrange specific services.

Waste recovery initiatives for farm specific waste are supported through initiatives like AgRecovery and Plasback.

A rates-funded system makes it easier for all households to participate in waste reduction, resulting in less household waste going to landfill. Other councils in New Zealand with similar rates-funded collections have seen a reduction in the amount of household waste sent to landfill.

It is estimated that more than 1800 tonnes of rubbish will be diverted from landfill every year thanks to our new kerbside collection.

At this stage the existing Solid Waste charge within the rates structure will remain. This charge covers expenses such as illegal dumping monitoring and clean up, abandoned or dumped vehicles, Environmental Protection Rates and the costs with running our recycling centres. The new Kerbside Collection service is in addition to these items which is why it will be an extra charge.

The bins are registered to the property and therefore our bins do not move with you. Please do not take the bins when you move.

On any given collection day in urban areas, three trucks will collect rubbish, recycling or glass and food scraps. In rural areas, two trucks will collect rubbish and recycling or glass.

No, the new service does not include greenwaste collection. This activity was not part of the kerbside collection community consultation process. However, options may be available at a later date to provide such a service.

Our community recycling centres will continue to operate alongside the kerbside rubbish and recycling collection services. The centres will still be available for customers to drop off items, including greenwaste and hazardous materials. But with all eligible housesholds receiving kerbside recycling and glass bins, it is anticipated the utilisation of the centres will decrease.

From 1 July 2021, you will no longer be able to put out the green pre-paid EGB rubbish bags for kerbside collection. The collection of these EGB green bags is not a Council run service. Waste Management NZ sells the green pre-paid bags and will no longer deliver kerbside collection services after 30 June 2021.

There will be large skip bins at our recycling centres for green pre-paid bags only. The bins will be there for the months of July and August only and will be removed straight after. Waste Management will be covering the cost of these as they get all proceeds from the EGB bag sales.

However you can also place these bags in your red lid rubbish bin (with your pay-as-you-throw tag attached).