Hamilton new waste plan given green light

Waste Minimisation Advisor Charlotte Catmur with the four new bins that will be coming to Hamilton residents in 2020. Photo / Hamilton City Council

Hamiltonians are one step closer to getting their new kerbside collection service, with council approving the new level of service for the city.

Hamilton City Council will roll out its new wheeled bin and more recycling options service from July 2020, which includes replacing the current black bag collection with separate wheeled bins for rubbish and recycling, a smaller separate food waste collection bin and using the existing recycling crates for glass only.

Waste Minimisation Advisor Charlotte Catmur said the current recycling service, which was established in 2002, is no longer fit for purpose so the new service will be a major step forward for the city, aligning it with other leading councils in New Zealand.

"The new service will provide Hamilton with a rubbish and recycling service that maximises diversion while providing the greatest value to the ratepayer," she said.

"It will also result in cleaner streets from a reduction in litter from the kerbside collection, meet the community's expectations around recycling and increase the diversion of food waste to landfill," said Ms Catmur.

The four new bins will be colour coded — a red wheelie bin for general rubbish, a yellow one for plastic recyclables, a smaller lime green bin for organic waste and a light green crate for glass.

Cardboard and paper will be disposed of in the yellow recyclables bin.

Council must fulfil its contract with the current recycling service before moving to the new one in 2020.

Plastics 3-7 will also be collected under the new contract.

In 2016 the council consulted with the community on what the kerbside collection should include. There were around 2800 written submissions received with the majority in support of the proposed new service.

As part of the new service there will be assisted collections to help physically impaired or elderly residents and special services for intensive housing areas that cannot be serviced effectively through this kerbside collection service.

The new service is designed to increase Hamilton's recycling rate from 29 per cent (by weight) to 50 per cent, which under current anticipated growth levels would mean diverting more than 100,000 tonnes of waste from landfill in the 10 years from 2020/21.