When people put non-recyclables into the kerbside bin, we all pay the cost. Sorting and landfilling things that can’t be recycled adds up to more than $1 million in fees each year that would be avoided if everyone recycled correctly.
Contaminated recycling impacts the other households in the same collection, so valuable materials and efforts are lost due to other people’s wishcycling.
Here are a few tips to help you dispose of unwanted items.
Gas bottles, batteries, electrical items
Gas bottles from barbeques, anything with a battery in it, or anything that plugs in must be taken to a transfer station or Community Recycling Centre. You can drop off a gas bottle for free at Matagas or TankTest.
These items cause fires when they are compacted in our kerbside waste trucks, posing a serious risk to our drivers and residents. We had an average of a fire every few weeks last year, and an estimated 25 tonnes of recycling had to be landfilled due to truck fires.
Plastic bags and single-use paper cups
No plastic bags in your kerbside recycling please. Place your empty and rinsed recyclables loose into your recycling bin.
Soft plastics like rubbish bags, chip packets, or biscuit bags cannot be recycled in the kerbside collection. If they come into our recycling facility, they clog the machines, causing a health and safety issue for our staff and additional maintenance costs.
Please check for a soft plastics recycling station at some stores or put them into your rubbish bin at home.
Single-use paper cups, like coffee and soft drink takeaway items, are not recyclable. They are a mix of paper and other materials, which is great for keeping them from leaking but makes them not recyclable. Please put them in your rubbish bin. Bring your own cup whenever possible to avoid this.
Clothes, towels, hangers, other fabric
Towels, clothes, curtains, stuffed toys, and other fabrics do not belong in your kerbside recycling bins. They are not part of the recycling collection. Please take them to a clothing bin or donate them to an Op Shop if they are in good condition.
Disposable face masks and gloves are not recyclable in your kerbside collection. Please put them safely into the rubbish bin instead.
Too much rubbish?
There are some easy tips to help minimise waste. Up to half the weight of our rubbish collection is food scraps. There are free composting workshops or tips for meal planning and recipes on a budget from Love Food Hate Waste. Auckland Council sponsors a cloth nappy programme. A baby goes through around 5500 nappy changes in their first two and a half years. Attend a waste-free parenting workshop (virtual or in-person) and you’ll get a starter kit to help you out.
Get help online
Taking a moment to recycle right could avoid a million-dollar mistake. If you aren’t sure how to dispose of something, you can look it up online. You can also ask Binny, our recycling bot, who’s available on Facebook Messenger or as an app. Or, if you just want to brush up on your recycling skills, there’s a recycle right game to share with your household.
