29 April 2005

New recycling bins roll out to Waitakere and North Shore properties

Two cities are first in NZ to use wheeled bins for recycling

The first phase of New Zealand’s largest and newest recycling collection service kicks off Monday with the delivery of the initial 145,000 mobile recycling bins (MRBs) to Waitakere and North Shore City properties.

The two councils are the first in New Zealand to implement fortnightly recycling collections from 140-litre mobile bins. Other cities in Australia and Canada have been successfully using the bins to increase recycling activity for several years. The recycling contract is part of a joint initiative between North Shore and Waitakere, which have contracted Onyx Group to provide refuse and recycling services to both cities. The aim is to reduce waste and encourage people to recycle more, but the councils have also identified significant savings by sharing these services.

“The ultimate goal is to reduce the amount of rubbish we are sending to landfill,” says Waitakere City Councillor Janet Clews. “But by working together with our neighbours on the Shore we are gaining efficiencies in several areas that will benefit both cities financially and environmentally.”

The councils are providing the blue and yellow bins to every property free of charge (75,000 on the Shore and 65,000 in Waitakere). They will be delivered at a rate of approximately 3360 per day (1680 in each city) before 24 June.

Hobsonville residents will be first to receive the bins in Waitakere, with distribution carrying on down south through Massey, Henderson, Te Atatu, New Lynn, Titirangi and Waitakere. On the Shore it will be Albany residents who will be first to get their bins, with deliveries flowing south down the peninsula.

North Shore City Council’s infrastructure and environment committee deputy chairperson Chris Darby says unless we take action to reduce rubbish, the problem will only continue to grow. “Initiatives like this are essential for the long-term health and sustainability of our city,” he says.

Street litter will also be reduced as the bins will protect the items inside from being blown about by the wind, some of which end up blocking stormwater drains.

Wheeled bins are also safer for the user’s back as they remove the need for lifting. The safety of collection staff will also be improved as they will no longer manually lift heavy crates or spend time in the middle of busy roads sorting recyclables.

A purpose-built fleet of vehicles painted with an eye-catching new theme emphasising recycling and waste reduction will empty the bins from both cities. The trucks will bring recyclables to Waitakere’s Refuse Transfer Station, where a new sorting facility is being built.

The mobile bins will be collected fortnightly on normal rubbish days from 1 July, replacing the weekly collection of the 45L crates. Paper and cardboard (bundled separately beside the bin) will also be collected fortnightly, on the same day that the bins are emptied. A calendar showing collections days for the year will be attached to all bins on delivery. Individual street numbers will also be marked on every bin.

ENDS

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