Kerbside Coach to educate on how to recycle right

Council’s Kerbside Coach is on a mission to help educate the community on how to recycle right.

This week residents will begin to see the Kerbside Coach, or recycling inspector, hitting the streets in an effort ensure efficient recycling and reduction of unnecessary landfill waste.

The role forms part of Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s kerbside rubbish and recycling collection service which started on 1 July, servicing nearly 17,500 eligible households.

Council’s Deputy CEO and Group Manager Infrastructure Services, Gary Allis says the Kerbside Coach plays an important role in ensuring residents recycle right so Council can deliver a valuable and efficient service.

“If non-recyclable items or dirty recyclables are placed in recycling bins these items will contaminate good clean recycling which can lead to a whole truck of otherwise clean recyclable material going to landfill,” explains Gary.

“Recycling bins with contaminated material, such as dirty or incorrectly recycled items, are often sent to landfill, which costs more, moves the disposal costs from user pays to rates funded and undermines our district’s waste minimisation objective.”

Armed with educational tags the Kerbside Coach will be randomly checking recycling bins, attaching a different coloured tag, depending on the quality of the recycling. If a household’s recycling bin contains a high amount of non-recyclable items, then it may get left behind so as not to contaminate a whole truck load.

A green tag will be assigned to those who are recycling well, a yellow tag to those who need to improve and a red tag to those who have too many incorrect or unwashed items – after receiving two yellow tags. A red tag may be given if contamination is deliberate or extreme contamination is visible.

Being labelled with a red tag could result in recycling not being collected until improvements are made.

Gary appreciates like any new service this will take some adjustment but encourages residents to be patient.

“We are very happy with the way things have been going. For the most part, residents have been putting the correct recycling in the correct bins which is great.

“One area of confusion we are noticing is with our pay-as-you-throw tags. If you are putting your red lid rubbish bin out for collection you must have purchased a single use pay-as-you-throw tag and attach it by looping it through the two handles (red and black handles). The tag must break free and fall into the truck on collection.”

For a full list of pay-as-you-throw tag stockists visit www.kerbsidecollective.co.nz/payt

If unsure of your collection day or which bins to put out use Council’s collection day search function at kerbsidecollective.co.nz/collection-day/

For more information visit www.kerbsidecollective.co.nz