Q+A: How Tauranga's new kerbside collection will work

The new service will have more separated collections. Photo / Getty Images

By Samantha Motion

This week, Tauranga City Council announced the details of how its new rates-funded kerbside rubbish and recycling service, starting from July 1 next year, will work.

People had lots of questions about how it would work. The Bay of Plenty Times put some of the most frequently asked to the council.

But first, here are the main points:

Bins: Each household will be delivered three new bins in addition to their existing 45-litre glass crate: A 140-litre rubbish bin, 240-litre recycling bin and 23-litre food scraps bin.

Collection frequency: Food scraps will be collected weekly and everything else will be picked up fortnightly. An optional green waste collection will happen monthly.

Core costs: $230 in the first year, charged through a targeted rate and including the existing $37 glass charge. A green waste bin will be an extra $60.

Year two: After the first year, households will be able to choose different bin sizes for rubbish and recycling (80l, 140l, 240l) with different costs, yet to be determined.

Q+A

I'm happy with my current system, why can't the whole council service be opt-in?

Tauranga has an opt-in system kerbside collection system now, largely in the hands of private waste collection companies. The council says this has led to 70 per cent of household waste going to landfill that could be composted or recycled instead.

"In order for the service to make an impact, we need the service to be convenient for all households to take part. Spreading the cost across a centralised, city-wide service in rates also ensures it's cost-effective."

I struggle with mobility. Will the council help me take out all these bins?

The council is working through the details for an assisted collection service, similar to those that other councils provide.

I want a smaller rubbish bin because I don't throw a lot out, why can't I have one from day one?

The council wants to "keep the rollout as simple as possible for our community" because it will already be quite an adjustment to move to a rates-funded service with four to five different collections.

The standard-size bins used in the first year will suit most households, and they will know better in a year if they can downsize.

I have a big family, I need a bigger bin or more frequent rubbish collections or I'm going to have an overflow. What do I do?

The council says the 40l rubbish bin collected fortnightly will suit the vast majority of households. But there will be an option for additional capacity at additional cost for the households that need it.

How is this going to work for retirement villages, apartments, papakainga and the like?

The council said it would talk to all multi-unit dwellings in the lead-up to launch to see if individual bins for each household will work for them, or whether they'd prefer larger bins in communal collections points.

Why do I need a food scraps bin?

The council says almost 33 per cent of all Tauranga household waste going to landfill is food, and the new food scrap collection is "our best opportunity to reduce the amount of household waste we are sending to landfill".

The food scraps collection also takes things like cooked food, meat, dairy, bones and fish that normally wouldn't go into a compost or worm farm.

I just signed up for another year with my private collector – what do I do?

The council will be talking to private waste collectors about existing contracts. It recommended people contact their provider to advise if they no longer wish to use their services after July 1.