In March 2023, the Government announced that for the very first time there would be a consistent recycling service across the country. That means New Zealand now has the same recycling rules all the way from Cape Reinga to Bluff.
Having standard recycling rules aims to make it easier for people to use kerbside services and get recycling right. It will also increase the quality of the materials collected, by reducing the amount that is contaminated.
The good news is that Ōtorohanga was already mostly aligned with the new recycling list.
Here’s a snapshot of what we can no longer accept from 1st February 2024:
These are likely to be contaminated with food, and are a low value material to metal recyclers.
Due to their low value to metal recyclers and the potential danger to our staff (they could get popped in the collection process!).
Anything over 4 litres, like large water dispensers, or large olive oil tins, can’t be recycled kerbside. Contact the supplier to see if they accept these back in-store.
Due to their small size, they fall through the sort line machinery and are unlikely to make it to their end destination of being made into a new item.
Some lids are made of mixed materials – like a metal outer and plastic liner - and sometimes the lid is a different type of plastic to the bottle or container. It is expected that this new rule will also reduce liquids like curdled milk ending up along the sort line, which is manned by our local team.
We are hoping there will be some industry-led community collections for these small items in the near future.
These are just too small to be sorted and baled. For containers, please don’t put anything smaller than a hummus pottle in your yellow wheelie bin (three-dimensional items smaller than 50mm at their widest point are not accepted), and when it comes to paper – nothing smaller than a Post-It note (two-dimensional items smaller than 100mm by 140mm are too small to be sorted and recycled).
Most of us are brilliant recyclers, so we hope you help us out by keeping lids, aerosols, tin foil and baking trays out of your kerbside recycling from 1st February 2024.
A weekly 'kerbside' collection system for recyclable materials and refuse in official bags is provided in the Otorohanga, Kawhia, and Aotea communities.
Refuse will only be collected if it is presented in official refuse bags, which can be purchased from local stores. There is a 15kg maximum weight limit for rubbish put in these bags.
The price of these bags includes the costs associated with the collection, transport, and disposal of the waste placed in these bags.
Any materials intended for collection should be placed on the kerbside by 8.00am on that day.
When a public holiday falls on a collection day, the collection will generally be carried out on the day after the normal, scheduled day.
The following recyclable materials will be collected:
Plastic bottles, trays and containers numbered 1, 2 and 5 only
Food and drink tins and cans
Paper and cardboard
Glass bottles and jars
All materials for recycling should be placed in the official plastic recycling containers available for purchase from the Ōtorohanga Recycling Centre.
Attended recycling centres are operated in:
Recyclables can be dropped off, free of charge.
Green (plant) waste (excluding noxious weeds or unmanageable material, such as flax) is also accepted on a charged basis at both centres.
The Ōtorohanga and Kāwhia Recycling Centres also accept refuse on a charged basis.
For more information on charged services at the recycling centres, please visit this page: Refuse and Recycling - Fees and Charges.
Kāwhia
Wednesday: 12.00pm to 3.00pm
Saturday: 12.00pm to 3.00pm
Sunday: 12.00pm to 3.00pm
Statutory Holidays (if the holiday falls on any of the above days), except for Christmas Day, Good Friday and Anzac Day: 12.00pm to 3.00pm
Ōtorohanga
Friday to Wednesday: 10.00am to 4.00pm
Thursday: Closed
Statutory Holidays (if the holiday falls on any of the above days), except for Christmas Day, Good Friday and Anzac Day: 10.00am to 4.00pm
Council has recycling services available to rural areas of the District through the establishment of unattended rural recycling centres at some rural schools.
Currently, there are facilities at:
These are small recycling-only facilities for the benefit of the community. They rely on community support for their care and management.
These facilities accept the same range of materials as that taken by the urban kerbside service.
A landfill in Te Kuiti is available for larger quantities of refuse.
Local contractors also provide private refuse and recycling services.
If you must dispose of a large quantity of refuse, these services are likely to be more cost-effective than the services provided by Council.
Council provides services for residents to dispose of, recycle or reuse discarded materials from households or small commercial activities.
Council has encompassed a philosophy of reducing the amount of waste going to Landfills for disposal through encouraging residents to:
To encourage residents to minimise their production of waste, Council's waste disposal (refuse) services operate on a 'user pays' basis, where the greater the quantity of refuse you produce, the more you will pay to dispose of it.
Other alternative options for discarded materials (such as recycling) are, however, offered free of charge.
Check out our Waste Management & Minimisation Plan for more information.