Council Services

Recycling

We now collect ALL your plastics!!! (Numbers 1 to 6, excluding polystyrene)

Upper Hutt City Council provides a recycling collection service for all residents. Take a look at our list of frequently asked questions for the answers and information you need in order to get your recycling 'right'.

Scroll down or use the links below to find information about:
		Recycling makes sense
		Alternative week collection schedule
		Collection calendar 2012
		Collection days
		What we collect
		Plastic identification codes
		How to prepare your kerbside recycling for collection
		As a city, how well are we doing
		Why recycle?
		Waste Exchange
		Agrecovery Rural Recycling Programme
		Frequently asked questions

 
      

Recycling makes sense

Recycling saves you money on extra rubbish bags Recycling reduces the amount of rubbish sent to the Silverstream landfill Recycling helps protect our environment by conserving resources and saving energy in the manufacturing process Recycling makes a real difference so let’s keep a good thing going!

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Alternative week collection schedule

We collect your recycling weekly on a rotating cycle. One week we collect your paper and cardboard ONLY, the following week we collect your plastics, glass and cans ONLY.  Each week simply… wash and squash your recyclables check what products are being collected on the calendar on the morning of your collection day have your recycling ready at the kerb (urban area) or edge of seal (rural area) by 7.30am.

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Collection calendar 2012

Click here to download the 2012 Recycle Collection Calendar (pdf format) or if you have a Google account, you can now subscribe to our Google calendar and receive reminders each week. There is no refuse or recycling collection on:   Good Friday (6 April, 2012). If Friday is your regular collection day, please put your refuse and recycling out for collection on Thursday 5 April instead.   Christmas Day (25 December, 2012) or New Years Day 2013. If Tuesday is your regular collection day, please put your refuse and recycling out for collection on Monday 24 December and Monday 31 December instead. We collect your ... 2012 Paper and cardboard           Plastic, cans and glass On weeks starting Monday... On weeks starting Monday...     2 January     9 January     16 January     23 January     30 January     6 February     13 February     20 February     27 February     5 March     12 March     19 March     26 March     2 April     9 April     16 April     23 April     30 April     7 May     14 May     21 May     28 May     4 June     11 June     18 June     25 June     2 July     9 July     16 July     23 July     30 July     6 August     13 August     20 August     27 August     3 September     10 September     17 September     24 September     1 October     8 October     15 October     22 October     29 October     5 November     12 November     19 November     26 November     3 December     10 December     17 December     24 December     31 December Please note: If you put out the wrong recycling for that week then it will be stickered stating that you should take it back in and put out the following week.

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Collection days

Click here to see what day of the week we collect from YOUR STREET or phone Waste Management on 568 3550.   Monday Totara Park, Timberlea, Clouston Park, Maoribank, Kingsley Heights Tuesday Te Marua, Parkdale, Birchville, Emerald Hill, Brown Owl, Central Business District, Mangaroa Valley, Whitemans Valley (Mangaroa Valley Rd to Russell Rd) Wednesday  Elderslea, Wallaceville, Trentham, Heretaunga South Thursday Poets Block, Cottle Block, Brentwood, Trentham North, Heretaunga North, Riverstone Terraces Friday Central Business District, Silverstream, Pinehaven, Whiteman's Valley (Russell Rd to Blue Mountains), Blue Mountains, Akatarawa, Kaitoke, Moonshine

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What we collect

Paper / cardboard     We collect your magazines, junk mail, photocopy paper, newspaper and cardboard.       Milk cartons, fruit juice cartons or waxed paper cannot be recycled.  Glass     We collect your green, brown and clear glass bottles and jars.         Window glass, light bulbs, mirrors or broken glass cannot be recycled.  Plastics     We collect all plastics numbered 1 to 6 - check the Plastic Identification Number usually on the base of the container. This includes milk bottles, soft drink bottles, bread bags, shopping bags, detergent and shampoo bottles.     Polystyrene (expanded) cannot be recycled. Items like polystyrene meat trays, foam hot drink cups and polystyrene fillers should not be put out for recycling. Click here for an explanation of the Plastic Identification Codes (plastics numbers 1 to 6) Aluminium     We collect only soft drink and beer cans.     Aluminium foil and other aluminium products cannot be recycled. Steel     We collect your food cans.

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Plastic identification codes

We collect for recycling, plastics numbered with Plastic Identification Codes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 (except for polystyrene). IMPORTANT Please note that your recyclables MUST fit within a plastic supermarket bag. Anything larger does not fit inside the collection truck. Code/number Common uses  Recycled into Soft drink and water bottles, salad domes, biscuit trays Pillow and sleeping bag filling, clothing, soft drink bottles carpet Crinkly shopping bags, freezer bags, milk bottles, ice cream containers, juice bottles, shampoo, chemical and detergent bottles, buckets, rigid agricultural pipe, milk crates Recycling bins, compost bins, buckets, detergent containers, posts, fencing, pipes Cosmetic containers, electrical conduit, plumbing pipes and fittings, blister packs, wall cladding, roof sheeting, bottles, garden hose, shoe soles, cable sheathing, blood bags and tubing, watch straps Flooring, film and sheets, cables, speed bumps, packaging, binders, mud flaps and mats Plastic Food wrap, garbage bags, squeeze bottles, black irrigation tube, garbage bins Rubbish bin liners, pallet sheets Dip bottles and ice cream tubs, potato chip bags, straws, microwave dishes, kettles, garden furniture, lunch boxes, blue packing tape Pegs, bins, pipes, pallet sheets, oil funnels, car battery cases, trays CD cases, plastic cutlery, imitation 'crystal glassware', low cost brittle toys, video cases  Coat hangers, coasters, white ware components, stationery trays and accessories

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How to prepare your kerbside collection for recycling

Please empty, wash and squash all containers as recyclables are hand sorted at AllBrite’s. Place recyclables for collection in semi-transparent supermarket bags or similar bags. Do not place recyclables in boxes as they do not fit in the recyclables hopper on the truck. Cardboard needs to be flattened and tied in bundles of a similar size to full supermarket bags or placed in supermarket bags. Put recyclables at the kerbside with your refuse on rubbish collection day.

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As a city, how well are we doing?

Our recycling target is set by Council and is outlined in the Long Term Council Community Plan (and the Annual Plan). Click here to view a graph which charts this target and compares it to our progress As a city we currently recycle less per household than our neighbouring cities. Let’s improve this and in doing so you can save yourself money on extra rubbish bags.

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Why recycle?

Recycling saves you money | when you put all your recyclable products out for recycling you save yourself money on extra rubbish bags by reducing the amount of rubbish you generate.   Recycling conserves resources | when we recycle, used materials are converted into new products, reducing the need to consume natural resources. If used materials are not recycled, new products are made by extracting fresh, raw material from the Earth, through mining and forestry. Recycling helps conserve important raw materials and protects natural habitats for the future.   Recycling saves energy | using recycled materials in the manufacturing process uses considerably less energy than that required for producing new products from raw materials – even when comparing all associated costs including transport etc. Plus there are extra energy savings because more energy is required to extract, refine, transport and process raw materials ready for industry compared with providing industry-ready materials.   Recycling helps protect the environment | recycling reduces the need for extracting (mining, quarrying and logging), refining and processing raw materials all of which create substantial air and water pollution. As recycling saves energy it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which helps to tackle climate change.   Recycling reduces landfill | when we recycle, recyclable materials are reprocessed into new products, and as a result the amount of rubbish sent to Silverstream landfill reduces.

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Waste Exchange

Free to business since 1999, The Waste Exchange is a not-for-profit service. It facilitates the exchange of information resulting in the diversion of waste from landfill to reuse or recycling. Over 900 companies have joined the Waste Exchange Service to assist in their waste management and many have had results which have saved them money. The Waste Exchange encourages all exchanges of waste to be free of charge and provides services in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Manawatu/Wanganui, Hawkes Bay and Gisborne regions and assistance to other areas of the North Island. Click here to visit the Waste Exchange website

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Agrecovery Rural Recycling Programme

The Agrecovery Rural Recycling Programme provides New Zealand’s primary sector with responsible and sustainable systems for the recovery and recycling of persistent “on-farm” waste products. Established in 2005 Agrecovery is a not-for-profit charitable trust put together by primary sector stakeholders.  Its nationwide services are available for farmers, growers, contractors, sports turf managers, vet clinics and others within the New Zealand primary sector.   The aim of the programme is to provide a sustainable solution to help manage the sector’s impact on the environment and to meet increasing customer demands for best environmental practice.   For detailed information about how Agrecovery can help you deal with persistent waste on your farm or property, please visit www.agrecovery.co.nz

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Frequently asked questions ...  

Scroll down or use the links below to find out the answers to our most frequently asked questions:
		What happens to my recycling once its collected?
		How do you decide what items to collect?
		Why do we put our kerbside recycling in bags and not bins?
		Why can't I recycle everything every week?
		How is the cost of rubbish bags calculated?

     
      

What happens to my recycling once its collected?

Waste Management collects your kerbside recycling on our behalf and transports it to Transpacific AllBrite’s recycling facility in Seaview. It’s then sorted, graded and baled for transport to national and global markets. AllBrite recover a portion of their costs by selling the product to NZ and global markets but the balance of the collection scheme is ratepayer funded.     Your… plastics are exported to Hong Kong and other Asian markets where they are recycled into sweatshirts, cloth, bottles and other new products steel cans and aluminium is on-sold to Simms Metals (Lower Hutt) who exports them green glass is recycled into new wine bottles in Auckland whilst your amber and clear glass is exported to South East Asia paper and cardboard, after grading, is recycled into new cardboard boxes, newsprint, packaging and other paper products. Export markets for paper include India, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. DID YOU KNOW? Approximately 5 to 10 percent of kerbside recycling was previously sent to the landfill. This was due to residents putting out non-recyclable items or paper and cardboard items that were contaminated by unwashed cans, plastics and glass products. Since we introduced a fortnightly collection cycle, this figure has dropped to approximately 2 percent. Well done!

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How do you decide what items to collect?

To avoid the potential environmental impact of stockpiling product, an item is only collected if there is a secure market to recycle it. AllBrite is responsible for securing sustainable markets for recycled product and notifies us each year of the items they were able to secure a market for. We then notify you what products will be collected during the coming year (July to June).   DID YOU KNOW? AllBrite have now secured a market to recycle plastics numbered 3 to 6 (excluding polystyrene). This now means that this year you can place ALL plastics (numbers 1 to 6, excluding polystyrene) at your kerb for recycling.

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Why do we put our kerbside recycling in bags not bins?

We operate the most cost-effective recycling scheme in the region with neighbouring council’s spending more than double the amount per household per year to run their schemes. By encouraging you to use supermarket shopping bags we spend less of your rates on recycling and more on other services – and we even recycle the bag! In a recent cost-analysis exercise, we calculated that it would cost an extra $174,000 per year to collect your recycling from bins as opposed to plastic bags as it takes twice as long to collect from bins compared to plastic bags and would therefore require twice as many trucks to operate the service. In addition to this annual increase it would cost another $105,000 to initially supply every household with a bin. Then there would be additional ongoing costs of storing and supplying replacement bins.  DID YOU KNOW? On windy days cities that operate collection schemes using bins experience big litter problems when individual items are blown out. Councils in such cities now recommend residents put items in plastic bags within their bins to avoid this costly problem. It’s less of an issue and a lot less costly to chase one bag down a street than all its individual items.

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Why can't I recycle everything every week?

Previously when all recyclables were collected together cross-contamination would often occur making the recyclables non-marketable. An oversupply of product during the recent global economic downturn meant that companies that recycle product began demanding higher quality product. It became necessary to collect cardboard and paper separately from cans, plastics and glass to avoid cross-contamination.    To do this on a weekly basis would require additional trucks and therefore an additional cost of $73,200 per year to ratepayers. The other alternative was to use the same number of trucks but to collect products on alternate weeks at no additional cost to ratepayers. Both options were considered but Council chose the no cost increase option of amending the service to collect your recycling weekly on a rotating cycle. One week we collect your paper and cardboard ONLY, the following week we collect your plastics, glass and cans ONLY.

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How is the cost of rubbish bags calculated?

The cost of rubbish bags is reviewed annually and increased only if costs can be justified. The wholesale cost of bags includes its manufacture, collection, disposal and other costs associated with managing the contract. Retailers then add their mark-up which can vary between outlets.   This means that the cost of operating the city’s refuse system is fully self-funded and not rates-funded. The average household in Upper Hutt uses 54 bags per year at a retail cost of $2.79 per bag. This equates to $150 annually, a little more than half the cost of a private wheelie bin.  DID YOU KNOW? In August 2009 we extended our collection services to the rural sector so now all households in Upper Hutt have access to Council-managed refuse and recycling services.

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