Frequently Asked Questions

Following consultation with our community in November 2019, Council resolved to introduce wheelie bins for rubbish and recycling for the urban rubbish and recycling service. Glass will remain in the existing crates.

This change was meant to start back in July 2020 however the effects of COVID-19 worldwide delayed the rollout of wheelie bins.

The start date is now Thursday 1 July 2021.

The introduction of wheelie bins across the South Waikato will mean the green rubbish bags will no longer be in use for kerbside collection after Thursday 1 July.

Wheelie bins will be delivered across the district during June. The new rubbish and recycling collections using the wheelie bins will kick off part way through a collection cycle on Thursday 1 July. The dark and light pink areas in the existing recycling calendar (ie, Tokoroa south) are the FIRST areas to use the new system.

THIS IS IMPORTANT! During the week starting Monday 28 June, the first three collection days use bags and crates (OLD SYSTEM). The last two collection days use wheelie bins and crates (NEW SYSTEM).

Collection days don’t change for any area!

This website contains a lot of information. Over the coming months information will also be provided using several tactics including social media, Antenno, advertising, website, engagement opportunities, billboards, mail drops and rates notices.

Residents will have their wheelie bins delivered to their addresses by our contractor.

Urban residents across the South Waikato will receive one 240 litre bin for recycling (yellow lid) and one 120 litre bin (red lid) during June in preparation for first collection on Thursday 1 July. This is mid-collection cycle.

Targeted messaging for areas will go out via Antenno. Residents are encouraged to download Antenno if they haven’t already. It is free and can be found on Google Play or the App Store.

If your neighbours have bins and you don’t appear to, first check with your neighbours as they may have been mixed up by mistake. If you are still unable to find your bins, please contact Council on 07 885 0340.

The bins will be delivered to your address. Each bin will be geo-tagged (registered) to your address to avoid bins being stolen. An address label will also be included on the side of the bin for easy identification. Households will continue to use their existing crates for recycling however they will only be for glass.

If you have yet to receive your bin and your neighbours have received theirs, please confirm first with your neighbours in case bins have been mixed up. If your household is still without a bin, please phone Council on (07) 885 0340.

If you know you are going to be away in June, please make arrangements with your neighbour to retrieve your wheelie bins and store in a safe place, ready for the changeover.

Households must place their wheelie bin(s) and crates on the kerbside of the homes by 7.30am on their designated day. There are no changes to collection days for anyone in the South Waikato.

• Place the crate and wheelie bins in a row on the verge outside your house as close as possible to the road.
• Place bins one metre apart. This is so the lever arms of the truck can pick the bin up.
• Close the lids on the bins.
• Don’t overfill bins. Lid must close shut.
• The bins should face the road (ie, handle facing your property).
• Do not restrict access to driveways.
• Don’t put the glass crate(s) on top of the wheelie bin, leave on the ground.

Flats, shared driveways and cul-de-sacs might cause some congestion issues. If you can’t fit your bin directly outside your property, please work with your neighbours to find a safe and appropriate location to place your bins. This may mean some residents have neighbours’ bins outside their property on collection day. When you retrieve your bin, please check you take the right one! Remember they are labelled and geo-tagged to your address.

Let’s all work together to make sure bins aren’t blocking paths or driveways – we want all our residents to get around.

Yes, collection days stay the same, route stays the same and timings will largely stay the same. In the early days of the collection there may be a few delays and the collection may run a little later than normal. Please be patient if your bin collection runs a little late.

Three specially branded and designed trucks will be doing the collection. The glass only truck that is already in use will continue to empty only the crates (that are now ONLY for glass). Two new lever armed trucks are branded red (for rubbish collection) and yellow (for recycling collection). On the odd occasions if there is a breakdown, there may be a ring-in truck called on to help out.

Excess recycling can still be taken to a Council facility like the Tokoroa and Putāruru transfer stations or the Tīrau recycling drop off facility. Please follow this link for opening hours.

Please contact Council on 07 885 0340.

Your bins do not move with you, as they are registered and geo-tagged to each property. Please do not take the bins when you move.

Each rateable property in the urban area is eligible for wheelie bins.

No, there is one charge for recycling and one charge for rubbish that is allocated to each rateable unit. This means that each rateable property will get one recycling and one rubbish wheelie bin.

Council is not currently looking at changing this or looking into multiple options for multiple ratepayers. It is a one size fits all approach.

The new Council service will provide:

• 240 litres for all recycling except glass, fortnightly
• 120 litres (existing crates) for glass recycling, fortnightly
• 120 litres for rubbish, weekly (this is equivalent to two green bags  each week)

If the service is not sufficient for your household, you can supplement the Council service with a private service. There are a number of private waste contractors operating in the district. Use Google.

The rubbish bin is 120 litre capacity. This is equivalent to two green bags. Most households currently put out one or two bags per week. This capacity is a good like for like for most households.

Remember our rubbish collection remains weekly.

We all need to work together to minimise waste to landfill. Have a look at all the products you buy and recycle everything you can.

We understand there may be some circumstances where more rubbish space is required. A number of people supplement their rubbish already with a private service. This can continue.

Remember most households currently put out one or two bags. This volume is consistent with the size of the new wheelie bin. The cost of this change for rubbish is pretty much like for like.

Yes, commercial businesses that currently get a rubbish and recycling collection service will get wheelie bins for rubbish and recycling. They are charged the same targeted rate that urban properties are. Bins will be delivered in the same way as bins to houses.

There will be a sweeper vehicle collecting unused bins due to shop vacancies.

Commercial businesses are reminded that the wheelie bins and matching rate charge is for household levels of rubbish and recycling only.

Yes, please visit the offices.

Over the past 12 months Council has introduced changes to our household recycling. Contamination levels have decreased significantly and this is a credit to South Waikato householders.

From Thursday 1 July:

• Recycled items including clean plastics (1s and 2s only), tins, cans, cardboard and paper go in the 240L wheelie bin (yellow lid).
• Other household rubbish goes in the 120L wheelie bin (red lid).
• The existing green and maroon crates will now be for glass ONLY.

Product care:

• All products must be clean. Plastic, glass and tins rinsed/washed AND cardboard (food packaging) free from food scraps.
• No lids, caps, tops (including bottle tops and tin lids).
• Only plastics 1s and 2s are acceptable. All other plastics must go in the rubbish. Look for the recycling symbol.

For more details DOs and DON’Ts please refer to:

• The information booklet that is delivered with your bins.
• This page linked here.
• The decals on the bin lids. These are included below too.

Both the green and maroon recycling crates will be used to recycle glass. These need to be placed next to your wheelie bins on your fortnightly recycling collection day, as per your current recycling collection schedule. The information pack delivered with your bins will contain two blue stickers that you can stick over the existing messages on your crates, to remind you that the crates are now for glass ONLY (see image below).

The bins are paid for by ratepayers who receive the service.

Currently the recycling rate charge is $49. The new charge on rates will be $65. The increase is because the cost of recycling processing has increased.

Currently the rubbish charge is $103. The new charge on rates will be $202. This includes the payback of the 120 litre rubbish bin AND the 240 litre recycling bin AND of course you no longer have to buy bags. Essentially the charge on the bags (which covered disposal and management of the waste) moves from the bags to rates.

Do rural ratepayers pay this?

No, rural ratepayers don’t get the recycling (or rubbish) kerbside collection service, nor do they pay for the recycling (or rubbish) kerbside collection service. There is a recycling charge on rural rate bills - this is for the management of the recycling drop off zones that are used by all ratepayers.

The service will be charged through the rates paid by the ratepayer.

Currently the recycling rate charge is $49. The new charge on rates will be $65. This includes the payback of the bin. Currently the rubbish charge is $103. The new charge on rates will be $202. This includes the payback of the bin AND of course you no longer have to buy bags. Essentially the charge on the bags (which covered disposal and management of the waste) moves from the bags to rates.

In terms of tenanted properties, it will be at the discretion of the landlord how these charges will impact their tenants.

The wheelie bins will be delivered to all urban households and businesses in the urban area that CURRENTLY have offical green and maroon recycling crates and receive a kerbside collection (using the official green Council bags).

If you don’t currently have a kerbside collection, you will not receive wheelie bins. Nor will you pay for the service.

In the event your wheelie bin(s) goes missing please contact Council on 07 885 0340. We will make every effort to locate your bin. Bins are geo-tagged to addresses, so if your bin is located at another property, it will be returned to you.

If your bin is not located, unfortunately, Council can’t keep supplying new wheelie bins free of charge.

If your bin is damaged, a Council Officer will investigate the details around the damage and an assessment will be made on a case by case basis as to whether the replacement is at Council's cost or property owner cost or shared.

The cost of new wheelie bins is $65 for the 120 litre bin and $95 for the 240 litre bin.

There will not be an opportunity to opt out. The kerbside rubbish and recycling collection service is funded through rates 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, similar to some of Council’s other services like libraries, swimming pools etc.

If you do not currently receive a kerbside rubbish and recycling collection service, you will not have an additional annual targeted rate added to your rates invoice. This service is a targeted charge to urban properties, similar to water supply.

Unless the collection areas change, at which time there will be extensive community consultation.

Landlords/property owners are encouraged to note the wheelie bins and crates as chattels on the property and ensure that the bond covers the replacement, should they be removed.

The bins and crates remain at the property. Council cannot cover the cost of missing bins.

The Three Strikes and You’re Out system is being introduced as part of the new waste collection service. It is a common system throughout New Zealand to combat recycling contamination. The system is not much different to what we are currently doing with contaminated crates being stickered.

This system only applies to the recycling bin and glass crate(s).

With the Three Strikes system, the first time recycling contamination is noted, a yellow sticker will be stuck on your wheelie bin, reminding the resident of the recycling rules.

The second time recycling contamination is noted, an orange sticker will be stuck on your wheelie bin. You will also receive a visit from a Council officer to have a chat about the contamination in your wheelie bin. This visit will assist you on your recycling journey. The orange sticker and visit will highlight that if a third strike happens, your recycling collection service will be suspended for twelve weeks (six collections).

The third time recycling contamination is noted at your address, a red sticker will be stuck to your wheelie bin. You will also receive a letter explaining that your recycling collection service (not rubbish collection) has been suspended for a period of twelve weeks.

Remember that one wheelie bin of contaminated recycling can contaminate an entire truck load of recycling. This wastes the efforts of every other person.

Note:

• If a property that currently has the service suspended is sold to another occupier, the service is reinstated immediately.
• If the tenants change, new tenants are encouraged to contact Council to discuss reinstatement of their service.

Yes, suspension of the service while the charge remains can be seen as a penalty for not taking the appropriate level of care with your recycling. Remember that if you don’t recycle properly, your contaminated recycling can contaminate the entire truck; wasting the efforts of everyone else.

Remember too that Council has been running recycling education campaigns for a long while now, and the rules haven’t changed with the introduction of the wheelie bins. Remember too that having your service suspended is the third step in the Three Strikes system.

Yes. Residents are encouraged to align your green bag stock levels at home with the start of the new system.

No, Council resolved not to refund green bags, however green bags can be dropped off at the transfer stations until 30 September free of charge. If you have purchased a substantial number of bags that you are not going to use by then, you could a, give them to a neighbour, friend or family member to use, b, on-sell them to a neighbour, c, donate them to the op shops in the district, d, have a spring clean over winter to use them up.

Council made a decision back in 2019 that there would be no refund for green bags. But residents can take green bags to the transfer station for free for a period of three months, until 30 September.

Green bags can be disposed of at transfer stations free of charge over a period of three months after the 30 June 2021. Last day that green bags will be accepted at the transfer stations free of charge is 30 September.

After this date, green bags will be charged.

No. These bags will no longer be accepted at the transfer station free of charge from 1 July 2021. After this date, terracotta bags will be charged as we charge with plain black bags.

No. Anyone who currently gets a kerbside collection service from Council will receive rubbish bins and get the service going forward.

Rural ratepayers have never received a kerbside waste collection service, nor do they pay for the service.

There is a recycling charge on rural rate bills. This is for the management of the three recycling drop off facilities in the district.

This charge is not for the kerbside collection.

We appreciate that some rural people buy Council bags and drop them at the transfer stations free of charge. The charge for disposal and waste management is on the bag. That is why it costs as much as it does at the shop.

Going forward once green bags are phased out, people can buy cheaper plain black bags at the shops and drop them at the transfer stations for a fee.

It works out much the same. All that changes essentially is where you pay the cost to dispose the waste - changes from the supermarket (when you buy a green bag) to the transfer station (when you drop off a black bag).

If you think you may struggle with the bins, please contact Council on 07 885 0340. A service request will be raised and sent to a Council Officer who will contact you to arrange a visit to talk about a solution.

That is the responsibility of the homeowner.

The short answer is no they can’t be recycled. Durable plastic products like our crates, and other items like chairs and tables contain material that cannot be recycled.

The longer answer is please don’t get rid of your crates. They need to stay with the property when/if you move, ready for the next owner/occupier. This applies to the wheelie bins as well.

If you find that you don’t need all of your recycling crates under the new system, you can use your crate for other things, in the garage or toy room for instance. However the crates must stay with the house when/if you move, ready for the next owner/occupier. The crates (and wheelie bins) stay with the property.

The wheelie bins will be delivered to all urban households and businesses in the urban area that CURRENTLY have offical green and maroon recycling crates and receive a kerbside collection (using the official green Council bags).

If you don’t currently have a kerbside collection, you will not receive wheelie bins. Nor will you pay for the service.

There are products on the market that enable you to tow your wheelie bin with your car, which could be helpful. A couple of links are here and here.

No, please don't. Just put your clean recycling - plastics, tins, cardboard and paper, directly into the recycling bin (yellow lid). Plastic bags are made from a soft plastic that is not recyclable.