Positive start to kerbside collections

It has been just over a week since Western Bay’s new kerbside rubbish and recycling service kicked off.

And while approximately 40 tonnes of material has been diverted from landfill, there is still room for improvement for everyone involved.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s new service means residents can no longer put out prepaid green rubbish bags for collection. Green bags can be dropped off at Council’s recycling centres during normal opening hours until the end of August.

Instead eligible households can now sort their recyclable and non-recyclable items between four bins – yellow lid recycling bin, red lid rubbish bin, glass crate and food scraps bin.

Although change is never easy, when used correctly, the new service will have a huge positive impact on our environment says Council’s Deputy CEO and Group Manager Infrastructure Services, Gary Allis.

In the first week of the service (1 July – 7 July) the following was collected from the kerbside:

• Recycling – 21.3 tonnes
• Glass – 11.6 tonnes
• Food scraps – 6.9 tonnes
• Rubbish – 34.2 tonnes

However, with a new service comes a period of time for everyone to establish new ways of working– both residents and Council.

“We’re working with our residents on clarifying what the key service requirements are and providing as much information and instructions as we can on what goes in each bin as we implement this service to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill,” says Gary.

“We’re all in this together. Together we can work hard to make this a streamlined service for everyone where the end result is a better outcome for the environment.”

To help keep the momentum going, here’s a few extra tips to help everyone keep binfit with the weekly kerbside collections:

I haven’t received my bins yet:

We have had more requests for bins than expected. If you are expecting bins and have contacted Council and have not received them yet, please be patient. Council is working on short-term alternatives for those residents yet to receive a set of bins to ensure deliveries are made as soon as possible.

I put my bins out but they weren’t emptied:

Here’s a few reasons why that might be the case

• Bins were not out at 7am on collection day.
• There were incorrect items put in a bin (contamination). If you are not sure what item goes in which bin, use our item search finder – www.kerbsidecollective.co.nz/item-search/
• A bin was overfilled.
• The bins weren’t presented correctly - bins must face the road correctly (check your lid for instructions).
• Bins must be where the truck can locate them – not hidden or too far from the kerbside for the mechanical arm to reach.
• The bins have been put out on the wrong collection day. If you are unsure of your collection day and what to put out, use our collection day search finder – www.kerbsidecollective.co.nz/collection-day/
• Download the Antenno app to be reminded each week of what to put out for collection.
• A pay-as-you-throw tag was not attached or attached incorrectly. For example, it was only looped through one handle instead of both the red and black handles.
• Bins are not Western Bay of Plenty District Council bins or are third party bins.

Council will have kerbside coaches out on the streets in the first few weeks providing education around the pay-as-you-throw rubbish service.

If you’ve put out the wrong bin or crate for collection please take it back inside and present it again on your next collection day.

Alternatively, you can take your excess recycling and glass to one of our community recycling centres and/or take your rubbish to your closest transfer station.

Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) tags

Our single use pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) tags are for the red lid rubbish bin only and provide a user pays option for refuse disposal. The PAYT tag is available for $3.95 (recommended retail price) and tags can now be purchased from Council’s library and service centres and other retailers. For a full list visit www.kerbsidecollective.co.nz/payt

Prepaid green bags and current bins

If your current provider hasn’t contacted you about removing their bins you might want to get in touch with them to arrange this.

Kerbside collected prepaid green bag collection stopped on 30 June 2021. There will be no further green bag collections. Residents can dispose of any excess pre-paid green bags full or empty, at Council’s recycling centres during normal opening hours until the end of August.

For more information visit www.kerbsidecollective.co.nz