Aucklanders are being urged to brush up on their recycling etiquette as new national standards come into effect at the beginning of next month.
Identical guidelines for what can and cannot be put into kerbside recycling bins across the country are due to come into force on February 1. Previously, local councils had different criteria for what recycling was accepted.
Items that will be accepted in kerbside recycling bins from February 1 include:
- Glass bottles and jars
- Paper and cardboard
- Plastic bottles, trays, and containers (grades 1, 2 and 5 only)
- Tin, steel and aluminium cans
There are also some new items that will be excluded from February 1:
- Items less than 50mm (e.g caps, small cosmetic and spice containers)
- Aerosol cans (steel and aluminium)
- Liquid paperboard (Tetrapak and juice boxes)
- Plastics 3, 4, 6 and 7
- Aluminium foil and trays
- All lids
- Items over 4 litres
Councillor Richard Hills encouraged Aucklanders to familiarise themselves with these new guidelines.
From February, the items going into the recycling bin will be the same for everyone across the country.
“By only putting in the right recyclable items into our bins, we are helping increase the quality of materials collected for recycling, which in turn reduces disposal costs.”
Hills, who is the chair of the Planning, Environment and Parks committee, said that this change is another important step along the path to Auckland Council's goal of zero waste by 2040.
“Reducing the use of single use items is the best way to reduce waste, following that, it is recycling right.”
The new guidelines also serve as a reminder of the issue of recycling contamination in Auckland.
Nearly a quarter of the material collected in Auckland’s kerbside recycling is contaminated with non-recyclable items, costing ratepayers an extra $3m a year in sorting and disposal.
Materials that show up in bins include food; textiles, carpets and clothes; nappies, medical waste and garden waste; soft plastic and plastic bags; bagged recycling and rubbish, and lithium-ion batteries and appliances.
For more information on the new recycling guidelines, see the Auckland Council website.
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