Pay-As-You-Throw tag goes up
Western Bay’s Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) tag recommended retail price (RRP) is going up, but we’ve got tips to help you save money.
Western Bay of Plenty Council’s new Fees and Charges have been adopted and include an increase of 35 cents per PAYT tag, going from $3.95 to $4.30. The new changes apply from Saturday 1 July 2023.
The change comes at the second anniversary of the Kerbside Collective service. In that time the costs in transport and disposal of material at landfill has increased, leading to the PAYT tag price increase.
Council’s Solid Waste Contract Manager, Tony Wilson, says that with operating costs rising across the board a small increase to the PAYT tag price was inevitable, but whānau in the Western Bay can use our PAYT tag system to their advantage.
“The beauty of our PAYT tag system is that you can control how much you pay over time, by diverting as much waste from landfill as possible. At the moment, up to 30 percent of the material in landfill bins is food waste – which could easily go into your food scraps bin or compost.
“The more recyclable material you place into your mixed recycling, glass and food bins/compost, the less you need to put your red landfill bin out for collection, saving you money.”
Our statistics show that the Pay-As-You-Throw tag system is saving our Western Bay households money. On an average week only 31 percent of red landfill bins are put out for collection.
Tony says, “It’s important to remember that emptying the red landfill bin is not paid for in your rates. The PAYT tag covers the cost of transport and disposal of the waste you place in your red landfill bin. What you pay for in your rates covers the cost of the mixed recycling, glass and food scraps services (as applicable).
"There is a misconception out there that we charge residents for rubbish twice via rates and the PAYT tag, but that’s not the case. You only pay for your red landfill bin when you attach a PAYT tag and have it emptied – so how much you spend on rubbish collection is really up to how much you divert from landfill through the recycling services we provide.”
The new annual rate for the full service (mixed recycling, glass and food scraps) is increasing by $17 from $149 to $166. The partial service (mixed recycling and glass) is increasing by $8 from $98 to $106. This is due to operating cost increases.
The RRP applies when the tag is purchased from Council, but the fee may vary when purchased from other outlets.
All existing tags remain valid and can be used.
See a full list of our fees and charges applicable from 1 July 2023.
