This is now underway as of 1 February but many people still seem to be a little confused so I thought I would help to clarify what you can and can not recycle due to the governments new recycling process which has been rolled out across the nation by setting standards for the materials accepted in recycling collections by councils.
By standardising recycling practices, we’re on track to divert an impressive 36,000 tonnes of waste from ending up in landfills every single year. That’s an incredible achievement, equivalent to nearly 30 kilograms per household! It’s a win-win situation – not only will recycling be more efficient, but we’re also reducing our environmental footprint in the process.
Items you can put in your roadside recycling bin – this information is from Auckland City Council but is standard for the whole country.
Glass bottles and glass jars (empty and clean).
Tin, steel and aluminium cans (empty and clean).
Plastic bottles (grades 1, 2 and 5) from your kitchen, bathroom and laundry.
Plastic food containers (grades 1, 2 and 5).
Newspapers, magazines, and advertising mail.
Paper, cardboard including empty pizza boxes, egg cartons and window envelopes.
If you live on Aotea / Great Barrier Island, you need to flatten and securely bundle or bag your paper and cardboard items and place them next to your crate.
For your individual location look up your council online and check the rules for your area, for example you may have a glass recycling bin instead of all recycling going into one bin as we do in Auckland.
Before you recycle
Empty and rinse all recyclables and place them loose in your roadside recycling bin.
Take lids off all bottles and containers and put them in your rubbish bin.
Containers should be no larger than 4L (except Aotea / Great Barrier Island where containers should be no larger than 5L).
Remove bubble wrap, polystyrene or plastic packaging from cardboard boxes – but tape and labels can remain.
Items should be larger than 50mm x 50mm.
Items you cannot put in your recycling
Bagged recycling or rubbish.
Soft plastic packaging.
Food waste.
Clothing, shoes and bedding.
Medical waste (including face masks).
Garden waste.
Building waste.
Chemicals and hazardous waste.
Nappies and sanitary products.
Empty aerosol cans.
Liquid paperboard (e.g. milk and juice cartons).
Cookware, Pyrex® and drinking glasses.
Window glass and mirror glass.
Light bulbs, fluorescent tubes and lamps, including Compact Fluorescent Lamps – they contain toxic mercury.
Electronic and electrical items.
Batteries – lithium batteries can explode and have been known to cause fires in recycling trucks.
Gas bottles.
Polystyrene packaging.
To dispose of the above items, and to search for items not on this list, see How to get rid of unwanted items in Auckland. Check your local council for how to dispose of these items in your area.
For details on disposing of plastic grades 1-7, see Waste Nothing.
For information from the government on how to recycle right click here
About The Author: Triona
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