Waitākere, North Shore and Papakura residents are the first to be offered a new Auckland Council rubbish service that will pave the way for a blueprint rubbish collection across the region.
The new flexible service is a shift from pre-paid rubbish bags to a pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) wheelie bin. Residents purchase pre-paid tags and attach one to their bin on their normal collection day.
Councillor Penny Hulse, Chair of the Environment and Community Committee, says in the next few years all of Auckland will move to this new service.
Read more: Frequently asked questions about the new bin service
“We’re responding to residents who have told us they want rubbish bins instead of bags. The new service is a flexible model – residents only pay when they need their bin collected.”
“Moving from bags to bins is the better environmental choice for Auckland. It keeps our streets cleaner and safer for everyone. This approach has also proved to reduce household waste sent to landfill, which is great news as we move towards our zero-waste goal for Auckland.”
What you need to do
The new bin service will roll out to Waitākere residents in October 2017, followed by North Shore in March 2018 and then Papakura mid-2018. The staggered approach will ensure the new service is implemented effectively without disrupting kerbside collections.
The good news is customers in Waitākere and North Shore can continue to use their existing 140L blue and yellow recycling bins and simply attach the new pre-paid tags. Pricing will be announced in August 2017 and tags will go on sale early September.
Waste Solutions Enterprise Manager Terry Coe says a six-month trial of pay-as-you-throw on the North Shore using pre-paid tags has shown positive results.
“Just over 260 households took part in the trial and were enthusiastic about the new service. Along with the added flexibility, North Shore residents saw a reduction in the amount of their household waste as well as cost savings.”
More details of the new service, along with pricing, will be announced soon.
For more information, check out the Make the Most of Waste website.
Go to makethemostofwaste.co.nz/bluebin to request a bin if you don’t have one, or if your bin is broken.
