Western Bay rubbish bin tags’ price increases

Western Bay of Plenty District Council's pay-as-you-throw tags are now $4.30 each.

Western Bay’s pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) rubbish bin tags went up in price from July 1.

The new price is $4.30, up from $3.95.

The change came on the second anniversary of the council’s kerbside collective service.

The council says the increase has come about due to higher transport and disposal of material at landfill costs since the service was introduced.

Solid waste contract manager Tony Wilson says with operating costs rising across the board, a small increase to the PAYT tag price was inevitable, but the system can be used to minimise the impact.

“The beauty of our PAYT tag system is that you can control how much you pay over time, by diverting as much waste from landfill as possible. At the moment, up to 30 per cent of the material in landfill bins is food waste — which could easily go into your food scraps bin or compost.

“The more recyclable material you place into your mixed recycling, glass and food bins or compost, the less you need to put your red landfill bin out for collection, saving you money.”

Statistics show the system is saving households money with, in an average week, only 31 per cent of red landfill bins put out for collection.

“It’s important to remember that emptying the red landfill bin is not paid for in your rates. The PAYT tag covers the cost of transport and disposal of the waste you place in your red landfill bin. What you pay for in your rates covers the cost of the mixed recycling, glass and food scraps services (as applicable).

“There is a misconception out there that we charge residents for rubbish twice via rates and the PAYT tag, but that’s not the case. You only pay for your red landfill bin when you attach a PAYT tag and have it emptied — so how much you spend on rubbish collection is really up to how much you divert from landfill through the recycling services we provide.”

The new annual rate for the full service (mixed recycling, glass and food scraps) is increasing by $17 from $149 to $166. The partial service (mixed recycling and glass) is increasing by $8 from $98 to $106. This is due to operating cost increases.