West Auckland businesses have changed their recycling habits, reducing the number of contaminated recycling bins from over 25 per cent to less than 5 per cent of total bins in just six months.
Last year, council inspections found between 20 and 40 per cent of recycling bins from West Auckland businesses had items that were not meant to be there. The top contamination culprits were bagged rubbish, soft plastic packaging, and e-waste.
Auckland Council General Manager Waste Solutions Justine Haves says sorting and disposing of recycling contamination is costing ratepayers across the region an extra $3.5 million per year.
“With contamination rates and costs rising, we have trialled different ways to reduce it. The most effective trial involved a combination of monitoring and tagging bins, with education and community engagement in areas we identified as having the worst recycling contamination,” Ms Haves says.
In 2024, council’s Waste Solutions team focused on three business districts in West Auckland: New Lynn, Glen Eden and Henderson which had contaminated bin rates of 23 per cent, 40 per cent and 20 per cent respectively. The initial aim was to reduce contamination by 10 per cent, but all three business districts exceeded that target within six months, with the proportion of contaminated bins for each area dropping to less than five per cent, where it remains one year later.
“Our team carries out spot checks periodically and we’re thrilled to find recycling bins in these areas still have very low levels of contamination.
“Thank you to all the West Auckland businesses who are doing their part to recycle right, and to those businesses who were willing to change for good. This is a win for the local community, for ratepayers, and the environment,” Ms Haves says.
“West Auckland businesses have set the bar high for other business districts across the region to improve their recycling habits,” Ms Haves adds.
“It’s encouraging to see changes in recycling habits in our local areas,” says Waitākere Ranges Local Board chair Greg Presland.
“I encourage all local residents to keep it up. There is only one planet Earth, and we need to do what we can to minimise environmental degradation.”
How to recycle
Acceptable items to put into council kerbside recycling bins are household packaging containers from the kitchen, bathroom and laundry including plastic containers 1, 2 and 5, cans and tins, glass jars and bottles, paper, cardboard.
Find a list of what you can put into your recycling on the main Auckland Council website.
E-waste and batteries
Lithium-ion batteries and e-waste cannot be put in either recycling or rubbish bins as they could catch fire if damaged as part of the waste collection process. These items should be dropped off at a location where they can be safely handled and recycled.
Visit the main Auckland Council website to find where you can drop off a range of items like lightbulbs, polystyrene, e-waste and batteries locally – including community recycling centres and places like Bunnings, Mitre 10 and Noel Leeming.
