Rubbish and recycling
<< Back to CBD index
| Auckland isthmus recycling index
| Waiheke Island index
Recycling - CBD, Auckland isthmus and Waiheke Island
What can and can't be recycled
What can be recycled
|
 |
Glass bottles/jars and their lids only.
Please ensure that items are cleaned and lids removed. Lids can be placed
in your recycle bin/bag.
Please note: broken glass bottles and jars can be placed directly into
your blue-lidded recycling wheelie bin. However, if you have a bag for your
recycling collection, broken glass must be wrapped in paper and placed in
your rubbish bag to prevent injury.
|
|
Aluminium/tin cans only - rinsed, squashed and with
can lids safely inside. |

|
Plastic bottles and containers, and their lids (grades
one to seven from the kitchen, bathroom and laundry only), excluding
bottles that may have been contaminated with oil, fuel, weed killers, etc,
or are larger than 4 litres capacity. See below for
information about what can't be recycled Please remove lids, rinse and
squash containers. The lids can be recycled as well.
The grade is indicated inside the recycling symbol (triangle) on the
item. Examples of bottles/containers in each grade are:

- soft drink bottles

- milk, cream and detergent bottles

- food and cleaning material bottles

- flexible squeeze bottles

- icecream, yoghurt, margarine and chinese takeaway containers,
strawberry punnets

- shampoo, conditioner and moisturiser bottles, dip containers

- squeezable tomato sauce containers
Read more about the recycling symbols and
what they mean.
|



 |
Paper/cardboard All cardboard and paper (including window envelopes
and Tetra Pak cartons eg juice and milk cartons) except those
items listed under What can't be recycled
CBD only
Flatten cardboard boxes, and tie paper with string or put in a cardboard
box for collection. |
What can't be recycled
|
|
Glass - these types of glass all contain other materials that
make them unsuitable to recycle:
- broken glass. Please note: broken glass bottles and jars can be placed
directly into your blue-lidded recycling wheelie bin. However, if you
have a bag for your recycling collection, broken glass must be wrapped
in paper and placed in your rubbish bag to prevent injury.
- window, mirror, frosted, crystal and reinforced glass
- light bulbs
- pyrex and arcoroc tableware
|
Plastics - the following cannot be recycled:
- plastics with no grade (number in a triangle)
- cling film
- disposable nappies
- fuel oil containers - the fuel oil contaminates the plastic container
- toys, buckets, baskets
- any container or bottle larger than 4 litres. The truck's compactors
are unable to deal with the size of the container or thickness of the
plastic
- polystyrene eg meat/food trays, cups and packaging -
read more about polystyrene
- plastic bags - read more about plastic bags
|
Aluminium or tin
- aluminium foil and food containers eg meals on wheels containers
- paint tins
- fuel oil containers
- fridge parts
- garden tools
- aluminium pots and pans
|
Paper
- shredded paper
- paper that has plastic, wax or other greaseproof coating eg
- carbon paper
- photocopy paper wrappers
- food wrappings/containers - as food is a contaminant
Shredded paper can not be put out for
recycling as it will clog the machines at the Materials Recycling Facility.
Household quantities of shredded paper can be used in the garden compost as
a mulch. Businesses with large quantities will need to contact a private
collector.
|
Polystyrene
The council kerbside recycling service does not take any forms of
polystyrene.
During the sorting process, the polystyrene can be easily broken and a build
up of polystyrene particles at the materials recovery facility can cause
equipment to clog, stop and break. By placing polystyrene out in your recycling,
you could contaminate an entire truckload of recycling material, meaning it
can't be recycled.
You should dispose of polystyrene with your household rubbish.
Polystyrene is a polymer made by using a compound called styrene - a liquid
hydrocarbon that is commercially manufactured from petroleum. Polystyrene has
been identified as #6 in the plastics identification scale of 1 to 7. It is a
versatile material that comes in various forms: foam or rigid, as well as clear,
coloured or printed. Meat trays, coffee cups, takeaway food containers and foam
packing material are examples of polystyrene.
What's the difference between polystyrene and Styrofoam?
What we commonly call Styrofoam, is actually the most recognisable form of
foam polystyrene packaging. Styrofoam ® is a Dow Chemical Co. trademarked form
of polystyrene foam insulation and can be found in coffee cups and electronics
packaging. Styrofoam is not accepted in the kerbside recycling collection and
should be disposed of with your household rubbish.
Plastic bags
Plastic bags are not recyclable through the council kerbside recycling
collection.
Plastic bags can clog the machinery at the recycling facility and cause
equipment failures. If an entire load is contaminated with plastic bags it will
go to landfill rather than be recycled.
Plastic shopping bags are a problem in our environment for a number of
reasons:
- they can take up to 1,000 years to break down. As plastic bags are
lightweight and moisture resistant, they can also travel long distances and
cause environmental problems in many places over time
- plastic shopping bags end up as litter in our environment each year which
can block drains, trap birds and kill marine life. These bags and up as
waste on our beaches, streets and parks. When a plastic bag enters the ocean
it becomes a harmful piece of litter. Many marine animals and birds mistake
plastic bags for food and swallow them, with painful and often fatal
consequences. Bags also end up in stormwater drains where they can cause
blockages
- the over-consumption of plastic bags is an unnecessary use of resources,
such as energy and materials.
New Zealand uses approximately one billion plastic bags per year. Try to
minimise your use of plastic bags by taking reusable bags with you when you go
shopping.
Try some of the following ideas to reuse bags you have at home before
throwing them away:
- as a wet umbrella cover - keep other items in your bag dry when your
umbrella is wet.
- doggie doo take them while walking your dog to collect and dispose of
pet waste.
- wrap your shoes in plastic bags when packing luggage to keep your clothes
clean.
Some supermarkets and Warehouses offer drop-off programmes that allow
customers to return their plastic bags to be recycled. Check with retailers to
see whether they offer this programme in your community. Alternatively you can
dispose of them with your household rubbish.
Updated March 2010