Linda Hall - Middle NZ: Recycling rules rile

By Linda Hall

Hawkes Bay Today·

6 Aug, 2019 07:00 PM4 mins to read

Linda Hall is Hawke's Bay Today's premium content editor.

A statement on the Hastings District Council's website says: "If everyone – and there is almost 71,000 of us in Hastings – saved one piece of rubbish from going into the bin every day, by the end of the year there would be 26 million fewer bits of trash in the landfill!"

That's something I think is not too hard to achieve if we all put our minds to it. Already millions of plastic bags that would have otherwise ended up being dumped have not even made to our homes.

Mr Neat sorts the recycling at our house and he was not a happy chappie when his carefully packed recycling was not picked up recently.

Was it the wrong number on the bottom of plastic bottles that caused the rejection? In March the council made changes to the rules for plastic collection.

Only plastic containers with the number 1 and 2 stamped on the bottom would be picked up. Do the collectors check each item? Surely not, it would take them all day and night.

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Anyway that wasn't the reason for our recycling being rejected. I'm still shaking my head over the reason actually.

What was left kerbside was a cardboard box neatly stacked with beer bottles.
Cardboard and bottles, both very recyclable.

But guess what? You aren't allowed to put bottles into anything else except a PLASTIC container.

They came into the house as one so it makes sense that they leave as one. I've seen the collectors heave a box of bottles up to the truck, empty it and throw the cardboard in another compartment in seconds.

It would have probably taken longer for them to get the piece of paper explaining the rules and place it in the left-behind box.

I know it's not the collectors' fault, they are following the rules and I would have let it go if I hadn't just read the new rules around recycling and rubbish collection put on social media by the Hastings District Council a few days before.

This is part of that message: "Rubbish and recycling changes in 2020: Following extensive consultation, Hastings District Council has decided to move to council-supplied receptacles. Recycling containers are proposed to be delivered by the collection start date of May 1, 2020 and general rubbish wheelie-bins by the collection start date of July 1, 2020. Dates are subject to supplier appointment and contract approval."

So the council wants me to buy more plastic containers to put my recycling in. We already have a couple but on the day in question they were filled with paper and other bottles.
However, in July next year I won't be able to use those containers. I'll have to use the council's ones.

What will I do with all the plastic containers I already have for recycling? Where do you think all the containers people are using now will end up?

Most likely in the landfill.

Rubbish in general is a huge issue for every council in the country. Why don't the region's mayors get together and discus some options?

Plastics 1 and 2, are still recyclable those numbered 3-7 are not accepted. Photo / File

Surely it would be cheaper to do this collaboratively rather than every council coming up with a different plan.

If the New Plymouth District Council can give it a go why can't we? It recently used half a tonne of plastic to create a new blend of asphalt - Plas Mix.

There must be something we can use our used plastic for — oh wait — I have it. Road cones. There's a huge demand for them in Hawke's Bay.

Linda Hall is Hawke's Bay Today's premium content editor.