Recycling and rubbish collection
Tō ipu hangarua

Your recycling bin

If we all recycle it helps save energy, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, the use of landfills and our need for raw materials.

Nationwide changes to kerbside recycling and rubbish collection

From 1 February, empty aerosol cans, tea bags and kitchen paper towels go in the landfill bin. Thank you for keeping these items out of our food scraps and recycling bins!

Note: glass still goes into the blue crate, not the recycling bin.

Your yellow recycling bin is collected fortnightly. You can check when your next pick-up is scheduled by searching the bin collection schedule or downloading the free NPDC Recycling and Rubbish app to your smartphone.

If you are unsure on whether something is recyclable, search in the recycling guide.

Your yellow recycling bin is picked up by the mechanical arms of a recycling collection truck. To make sure your bin can be emptied, ensure that it is at least 30cm away from any other bin or crate, and 1m from any cars, fences or trees. Do not place your bin below a tree, unless there is a 3m clearance between the top of the bin and the foliage. Please keep the weight of the contents below 70kg.

Please note: Only plastic containers (under 3 litres in size) with the number 1, 2 or 5 in the recycling triangle can go in the yellow recycling bin; all other plastics go in the red landfill bin.

 

Bin information booklet

Rubbish truck picking up yellow bin
Hangarua or recycling banner

These items can go in your recycling bin

  • Paper
  • Cardboard (flatten, remove tape)
  • Egg cartons
  • Plastic bottles and containers with numbers 1, 2 or 5 in a triangle (remove lids, rinse, do not squash)
  • Tin cans
  • Aluminium cans

 

No lids please

Make sure you remove lids from plastic bottles and containers before you put them in your recycling bin.

Please put the lids in your landfill bin.

These items cannot go in your recycling bin

  • Glass - this goes into your blue glass crate
  • Containers and bottles with lids on them
  • All lids of bottles and containers
  • Pots, pans, large metal items
  • Bottles with liquids in them
  • Drink cartons, juice and milk boxes
  • Expanded polystyrene (even with a '6' in a triangle)
  • Coffee cups
  • Medical waste
  • Plastic bags
  • Clothes, toys, shoes
  • Batteries
  • Containers over three litres
  • Soft plastic packaging and film (these can be recycled at participating Countdown supermarkets)
  • Plastic bottles and containers with numbers 3, 4, 6 or 7 in a triangle
  • Packaging made of more than one material
  • Electrical items (these can be taken to The Junction)
  • Nappies
  • Garden waste
  • Shredded paper
  • Motor oil containers
  • Empty aerosol cans

Recycling tips

To check what type of plastic your container is, look for a triangle with a number on it. Often this is located at the base of the container or on the label on the side of the container.

Empty and rinse containers to remove liquids and food scraps. 

Leave items loose and unbagged so they can quickly and easily be sorted in the recycling centre. 

Labels do not need to be removed.

Tips for preparing your recycling

Zero Waste videos

Check out our quick and helpful videos to learn more about how to recycle. 

Alternative recycling collections

A number of other free or commercial recycling collections are available for households and businesses for items not collected in kerbside recycling bins. These include batteries, mobile phones and other e-waste, lightbulbs, toner cartridges, scrap metal, cooking oil, oil filters, paint and other items. Find out more below.

Zero Waste Taranaki Directory

Frequently asked questions

Para kore Zero Waste

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