Residents in the former Manukau City Council area will say goodbye to rubbish bags this year as Auckland Council introduces rubbish wheelie bins for a new service starting in September.
Ian Stupple, Auckland Council’s general manager Waste Solutions, says almost 110,000 wheelie bins will be provided to houses in the Manukau and Howick wards.
“We’re pleased that residents in Manukau and Howick will soon benefit from the convenience and hygiene of a wheelie bin for their household rubbish, particularly as residents have consistently told us through consultation that they prefer wheelie bins to bags.
“From a health and safety perspective it’s also very positive. In the last three years more than 80 Auckland rubbish collectors have been injured on the job due to dangerous items thrown away by residents in rubbish bags. With the move from bags to bins this risk disappears,” he says.
Residential properties will be supplied with a standard wheelie bin for household rubbish (120 litre), which holds two to three black rubbish bags. There will be no additional charge for this service.
“If anyone is producing more household waste than this per week we would encourage them to look at ways to minimise their waste. Every household is provided with a 240 litre recycling bin which takes a large amount of recycling materials.”
Other options include composting food and garden waste (Auckland Council runs free composting workshops around the region) and soft plastics recycling at supermarkets.
For very large households who believe a standard bin will be insufficient Auckland Council is offering a larger size bin. The 240 litre bin (the same size as the recycling bin) will incur an additional charge of $55 per year.
Key information
There will be no changes to current rubbish collection days or the fortnightly recycling service.
This service is rates funded and residents will pay no additional charges for the standard 120 litre bin.
Bins will be delivered in June and July 2017, but won’t be used until the new service starts in September 2017.
Collection services using the new rubbish bin will begin on 4 September 2017. Once this new service begins, only rubbish in the bin will be collected.
Larger bin option
A larger bin size (240 litre, the same size as the council recycling bin) is available on request. This larger bin will incur an additional annual charge of approx $55 per year.
Those wishing to request a larger bin should fill out an online form at www.makethemostofwaste.co.nz before 31 March 2017. Those with no internet access please phone the council on 928-0934.
