Collection of your recycling
Using your council recycling bin, make sure your recycling is out on the kerbside by 7.30am on collection day.
When will my recycling be collected?
Your recycling will be collected at the same time as your general rubbish:
- Monday - Eastbourne, Eastern Bays, Seaview, Gracefield, Waiwhetu, Waterloo, Epuni East, Fairfield, Moera
- Tuesday - Petone, Alicetown, Hutt Central, Woburn, Epuni West
- Wednesday - Western Hills (except Kelson), Liverton Road, Haywards Hill, Belmont, Manor Park, Boulcott, Avalon
- Thursday - Naenae, Taita, Pomare, Stokes Valley
- Friday - Wainuiomata, Moores Valley Road, Kelson
How do I pack my recycling bin?
For the best use of space, follow these three simple steps:
- Bundle up your newspapers, cardboard and advertising mail, or put them in supermarket bags and tie them up
- Squash your plastic containers graded from one to seven and put all plastics (except for polystyrene), aluminium and steel cans in supermarket bags and tie them up
- Put your glass in the bottom of your green bin with heavy bags of paper on top to prevent wind blowing your recycling out of the bin
Where can I get a new recycling bin and how much does it cost?
For $10 you can buy a new recycling bin from the council building at 30 Laings Road. We also advice you to use flexinets – they fit over the top of your bin to keep your recycling in. Flexinets can now be bought from your local supermarket.
Recycling do's and don’ts
We do recycle:
- Plastic containers, super market, bread bags and bottles - (Number 1 to 7 excluding polystyrene)
- Glass bottles and jars
- Aluminium and tin cans
- Lids on bottles are fine – they keep odours contained!
- Paper cartons (e.g. tetra packs for milk)
- Flattened cardboard and paper – including windowed envelopes, magazines, junk mail, and egg cartons
- Meat tray - plastic only (not polystyrene)
We don’t recycle:
- Broken, ceramic, frosted, window or Pyrex glass
- Silver foil, including food trays made of foil
- Anything contaminated with food
- Cardboard in large quantities such as TV or fridge packaging
- Pizza boxes
- Waxed Paper
- Bottle tops
- Polystyrene
Recycling station locations
Community recycling stations are free and they’re open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Where’s my nearest recycling station?
You’ll find your local recycling station in:
- Alicetown - on Wakefield St between Rush Gr and Victoria St
- Kelson - off SH2 on Major Drive
- Naenae - in the carpark of the Naenae Hotel, off Vogel Street and Everest Avenue
- Waterloo - at the junction of Oxford Terrace, Knights Road and Birch Street
- Wainuiomata - off Parkway, in the Frederick Wise Park Carpark adjacent to the softball diamond
- Silverstream Landfill (normal tip fees will apply)
How do I use the recycling station?
When you drop off your recycling:
- Make sure your containers are empty and rinsed out
- Remove all tops and squash all plastic containers
What can’t be recycled:
- Is your recycling dangerous, unpleasant or unhealthy to handle? If so, please don’t leave it at the recycling station
- If you think your recycling could attract rats, please don’t leave it at the recycling station
- Old furniture. Please take this to your nearest landfill
- If your items can be repaired and tidied for reuse, they can be taken to or collected by the WasteSmart retail store
If non-recyclable products are put in the recycling bins, the load gets contaminated and it can’t be recycled.
Reporting illegal dumping or damage to bins
If you see people illegally dumping rubbish, please report it to us with as much detail as possible including:
- The time, date and place
- What type of rubbish was dumped
- Whether it was put in the bin or beside it
- The registration, make, model and colour of the vehicle involved, and a description of the people
If you see taggers or people damaging bins, call the Crime Stoppers Hotline on 0800 555 11. Your name and details will not be taken down or used in action resulting from your call.
WasteSmart retail store
With our support, Earthlink Inc. runs a recycling and retail shop 'WasteSmart' where all your pre-loved treasures can find a new home.
Items for WasteSmart can be dropped off at Silverstream Landfill or you can call the shop on 04 528 0838 and arrange a collection.
Opening hours:
WasteSmart is open:
Tuesday to Friday from 10am–4pm
Saturday from 9am–1pm
About WasteSmart
If you’re looking to find a few treasures for yourself you can visit Earthlink's retail outlet, WasteSmart, at 24 Goodshed Road Upper Hutt.
Quality used items such as toys, books, furniture, sports gear, whiteware, computers, TVs, tapes, CDs, and records are sought after by Earthlink staff who skilfully repair and refurbish these items before they are put on sale at the WasteSmart shop.
Earthlink Inc. is a not-for-profit organisation supporting people with mental health disability issues into employment.
What happens to your recycling?
Your recycling is processed and turned into new products.
What happens to glass?
Your glass is sent to Auckland where it’s melted and remade into glass bottles.
What happens to tins?
Tins are squashed and tied together and sent to Auckland. They are melted down to make flat sheets of steel which are then made into new products.
What happens to aluminium?
Aluminium cans are baled and sent to local metal recyclers. They send it on to Bluff to be melted into ingots for making into new drink cans.
What happens to plastic?
The plastic is baled and the majority is sold to South East Asian countries. The plastic is then chipped, washed and melted down and made into things like car bumpers, motor oil, bottles, detergent bottles, pipes, pails, new trash bags, pallets, non food bottles and material fibres that make things like polar fleece clothing, sails for boats, carpets and fibrefill.
Sustainable markets are being developed for grades 3 to 7 and current uses include electronic equipment cases, car interiors, food packaging, and flooring. Grade 6 (polystyrene) recovery isn’t viable at this stage.
What happens to paper and cardboard?
Paper and cardboard is separated into newspaper, magazines, mixed paper and corrugated cardboard. Roughly half is sent to mills in New Zealand with the remainder exported to South East Asian countries.
Some of the new pulp is screened and dried, turning it into new cardboard. Cardboard pulp is combined with other paper pulp to make paper towels and toilet paper. It is also shredded and used in some cat litters. Recycled cardboard has many uses in creating fibre boards and manufactured wood products.