Auckland is moving a step closer to transforming its waste services, with the roll-out of the new, improved regional inorganic collection service.
The first bookings have been made and the first pick ups scheduled across Auckland neighbourhoods, to continue throughout the week starting 15 February.
Residents, who have made bookings, put items for collection on their front lawn or driveway, well away from any items they didn’t want Auckland Council to collect.
Two trucks make the collections - the first of which takes any reusable items. These items go into a warehouse, then are given to charities and community recyclers to find new homes for them instead of going to landfill. The second truck takes the rest of the inorganic items to landfill.
Turning waste into resource
Changing the new inorganic collection to make the most of waste was outlined in Auckland Council’s Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP).
The waste plan is for household waste streams, and proposes innovative changes for inorganics, recycling, rubbish and food waste in coming years.
“We need to ensure our waste services are efficient and consistent across the region, and we have a focus on turning waste into resources,” says Waste Solutions Manager Ian Stupple.
“Last year alone more than 25,000 tonnes of inorganic waste went to landfill. We think we can divert about a third with our new service.”
The waste service changes affect people differently depending on where they live. The inorganic service is the same for everyone except for those on the Hauraki Gulf Islands, which have different infrastructure and require individual solutions.
The new inorganic service is intended to reduce the unsightly piles of rubbish left on berms.
How to use the service
The service will run between February and November, with residents receiving one collection every year. The cost is included in rates.
Bookings are open throughout the year, but close 12 days before the relevant collection week. That allows the council time to schedule collections and make arrangement for trickier properties.
Residents will also receive a flyer in their mailbox and will have 10 days to book the inorganics service from the time the flyer arrives.
Pre-booking ensures the council has permission to collect items from inside people’s property boundaries and also means residents can let the council know if there are any access issues on the property. Collection piles should be up to 1 cubic metre in size – about the same as a small trailer load.
There are three ways to make bookings to make it convenient:
- Online, go to makethemostofwaste.co.nz
- Call Auckland Council on 09 301 0101, or
- Visit any service centre
The new and improved inorganics collection service is part of the implementation of the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan, which will help cut down the amount of waste Auckland creates by dealing with it in different ways. Our first target is to reduce household per capita waste to landfill by 30 per cent by 2018.
