New Recycling Rules
From February, all district and city councils accept only glass bottles and jars, cans, paper and cardboard (including pizza boxes), and plastics numbered 1, 2 and 5 in their recycling collections. Acceptable plastics include milk, soft drink and juice bottles, large yoghurt containers, two-litre ice cream containers, some cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese containers, some dip containers, some tomato, barbecue and mustard squeeze bottles, meat trays and some takeaway containers.
Items excluded from kerbside recycling include items less than 50mm, aerosol cans, liquid paperboard, plastics 3, 4, 6 and 7, aluminium foil and trays, all lids and any items over four litres.
Plastic exclusions include small yoghurt/sour cream pottles, styrofoam, PVC pipes, polystyrene, biscuit and cracker trays, pill packets, some dip containers, soft plastics (plastics you can scrunch in your hand such as biscuit and cracker bags and trays, packaging from bread, rice, packaged vegetables and fruit, shiny gift wrap) and some tomato sauce, mustard and barbecue squeeze bottles.
Adhering to these rules will help increase the quality of materials collected for recycling, reduce disposal costs and protect the natural environment.
Why are these changes are happening?
New Zealand generates millions of tonnes of waste each year and sends tonnes of that waste to landfill. Food scraps make up the largest percentage of landfill emissions.
A transformed recycling and food scrap system will increase the quality and quantity of materials collected for recycling and will help reduce the amount of recycling and food scraps sent to landfill as rubbish.
Standardising the materials collected across the country will improve the clarity and effectiveness of kerbside collections.
Detailed requirements for what materials are accepted in council managed kerbside recycling, food scraps, and food organic and garden organic collections can be found on the New Zealand Gazette website.
Reducing food waste to landfill is an important way we can all contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Food scrap collections will make it easier for people who cannot easily compost at home.
What these changes mean for businesses
The standardisation of household kerbside recycling will give businesses more clarity around the packaging materials that will be accepted for recycling throughout the country. This can inform improved design and packaging decisions. This work is being progressed alongside proposed new waste legislation.
What these changes mean for local government and the waste industry
Local government and the waste industry have key roles in making changes happen for household recycling and food scrap collections. All councils need to meet an increasing minimum standard for the volume of household waste diverted from landfill.
Waste companies will be required to collect and report more data on the waste they collect from households in regular kerbside services.
More information can be found at: https://environment.govt.nz/what-government-is-doing/areas-of-work/waste/improving-household-recycling-and-food-scrap-collections/ .