All you need to know about recycling bins...

30th May 2013

All you need to know about recycling bins...

Did you know that people use recycling bins on the sunny side of the street more than those in the shade?

As manager of the Love NZ brand, the Glass Packaging Forum has released its first “Love NZ Guide to Selecting and Positioning Recycling Bins” which builds on three year’s collective knowledge from organisations and councils around the country to help others make the right choice about what recycling bins they should buy and where they will get used the most.

As a result of the Love NZ public place recycling programme co-funded by Government, Local Government and Industry, there are now over 1200 Love NZ recycling bins around the country and over 2000 mobile event recycling bins which are used in sports stadia and other public arenas.

Lyn Mayes, Manager of the public place recycling programme says that the type of recycling bin and where its placed makes a big difference to what gets recycled:-

“It may not be rocket science but there is a “science” behind what sort of bin you buy and where you put it to get the most use and the least contamination. The first rule is there must always be a rubbish bin next to the recycling bin. Size is important too because the smaller the bin the more often it will need emptying to prevent overflow. Keep it simple -give people the same choice of system away from home as they have at home so they know what to recycle and where. Dunedin Council has installed 59 mixed, glass and waste bintainers which collect around 1 tonne of mixed recycling and glass each month with less than 5% contamination.”

“There are tips in the Guide for choosing the best spot for example near children’s play areas, a bus stop, between food outlets. And some less obvious - Hastings Council found that relocating a recycling bin from the shady side of the street to the sunny side increased recycling by up to 50%.”

“The Guide has been written to share some of the things we have learnt about the best sort of bin for different locations whether for the high street, back of house / office environments or at events. We’ll update it with new products and new information so that councils and organisations don’t have to reinvent the wheel when they introduce recycling systems. Buying a permanent street bin isn’t cheap so it’s important to get it right first time.”

“The Love NZ programme has recycled over 4000 tonnes of bottles and cans in public place recycling bins since the Rugby World Cup in October 2011. To put this in perspective that’s over150 million food and beverage containers and would half fill a typical rugby stadium. It’s our objective to make recycling in public places as easy as it is at home and to do that we need more Love NZ recycling bins in our towns, transport hubs, tourist and hospitality venues.”

The Love NZ Guide to Selecting and Positioning Recycling Bins is available on www.lovenz.org.nz

ENDS

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