Eager Tauranga recycling fans prompt council plea to stop, for now

Tauranga's new recycling system doesn't start until next month. Photo / 123RF

Eager recyclers have prompted a plea for people to stop putting their bins out before the city's recycling collection begins next month.

Tauranga City Council is mostly the way through delivery of 53,000 glass collection crates in preparation for a new rates-funded kerbside service.

Ratepayers are this month being delivered blue crates with information brochures taped to the bottom explaining how the upcoming fortnightly service will work when it begins in October.

However, people are already putting the filled bins out and wondering why they aren't being picked up. In fact, so many people are putting bins out the council has put out a public plea asking people to stop.

Sustainability and waste manager Rebecca Maiden said the council has had "a number of calls about people putting their glass-filled crates out for collection".

"While we're delighted by their enthusiasm, it's a bit early yet - our interim kerbside glass collection service starts in October."

Maiden advised people to find out more information about their first glass collection by visiting the council website.

A Mount Maunganui resident, who would not be named, said she had seen a "huge amount" of the new crates left on the side of the road this week, including some which also had milk bottles and other rubbish.

Another resident who wanted to remain anonymous said he had not seen the attached information and put his bin out when he saw neighbours doing it.

Environment Committee chairman Steve Morris said it was fantastic people were so keen to use the new service "but they need to wait until October to put their crates out".

Morris said when private collection companies stopped accepting glass for recycling at the kerbside in March this year, the council was concerned about the impact on the environment and city.

"To fill the gap, we proposed a council-led, rates-funded solution in the 2018-28 Long Term Plan, which was strongly supported by the community," Morris said.

"I'm really pleased that we've been able to implement this service so quickly and that residents will soon have the convenience of recycling glass bottles and jars at the kerbside again."

Tauranga is one of the last cities in New Zealand to move from privately-led to council-led kerbside collections, and will provide a full kerbside service for rubbish, mixed recycling and organic (garden and/or food) waste in 2021.

Lost your crate?

Any residents who have not received a crate by the end of September are encouraged to check with their neighbours before contacting the council. All crates have the property address they are allocated to on the side. Extra crates can be ordered from the council for $26 a year after October 1.