It’s been 70 years since Hamiltonians last celebrated a “King’s” Birthday holiday. But while the name change may take some getting used to, one thing that hasn’t changed is your kerbside collection day.

The King’s Birthday holiday (Monday 5 June 2023) won’t impact kerbside collections, and bins should go out by 7am on your normal collection day, throughout that week.

Correct recycling and the King’s Birthday are more closely linked than just celebrating a birthday.

King Charles III, unofficially known as the ‘Green King’, has been an active environmentalist since the ‘70s. He gave the opening speech at the COP26 climate summit in Scotland in 2022, urging leaders to re-double their efforts to confront global warming.

Sustainable Resource Recovery Service Delivery Manager Trent Fowles said King Charles III has it right and we can be doing more to protect the environment.

To keep it simple, Fowles encourages residents to ensure they are putting the correct items into each kerbside bin. This helps prevent non-recyclables contaminating recycling bins and causing recyclables to end up in landfill.

“What you place into your yellow recycling bin matters. The bin shouldn’t be used for items like nappies or organic waste. We need to ensure what goes into the yellow bin is actually recyclable, such as rinsed plastics, tins, cans, paper and cardboard,” he said. 

Fowles says items are consistently found in yellow recycling and red landfill kerbside bins that could go to the Lincoln Street Resource Recovery centre where they could be recycled or repurposed.

“Our resource recovery centre isn’t a tip, or a dump, but a place where many items go to get a second life. While there is a cost for general waste, lots of items can be disposed of for free.”

Some of these things include:

• batteries – from vapes, electronic devices or scooters. Batteries can explode in kerbside bins and collection trucks
• e-waste – including TVs, computer monitors, devices and laptops
• hazardous waste – paint, oven cleaner, pool cleaner, oils and gas canisters
• plastic and metal lids – separated from bottles, lids can jam the sorting machines
• whiteware – dryers, washing machines and fridges (empty and clean)
• clean excess recycling – (plastics, paper, cardboard, tins and cans).

The Lincoln Street Habitat ReUse store also accepts quality pre-loved furniture and household items, including clothes.

Fowles said he encouraged anyone who wasn’t sure what items go into each kerbside bin, to use the bin sorter on Council’s dedicated kerbside and waste reduction website fightthelandfill.co.nz

If anyone has excess waste (items for recycling or green waste) on King’s Birthday, the Lincoln Street Resource Recovery Centre will be open 9am - 4pm, and the Hamilton Organic Centre on Wickham Street will be open 8am - 5pm.

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