Sort it, South Taranaki

South Taranaki District Council (STDC) is appealing to residents to sort out their recycling.

Nearly a third of the District’s recycling going into kerbside recycling wheelie bins either can’t be recycled or isn’t being cleaned properly and contaminating good recyclables around it. Contaminated recycling cannot be recycled and ends up in the landfill.

STDC Environment and Sustainability Officer Brittany Rymer says the contamination of kerbside recycling is a pressing issue for South Taranaki.

“Just one recycling bin with non-recyclable or contaminated items can result in a whole truckload of recycling being sent to landfill. This leads to increased landfill waste, which results in ongoing environmental problems and comes at a higher cost to ratepayers,” Brittany says. “Council is working to help residents understand what can and cannot be recycled in our District with information on our website, the STDC Rubbish and Recycling app, and Facebook and Antenno posts to spread the word.”

But desperate times call for desperate measures and Council is introducing a system where repeat offenders will have their kerbside collection recycling service suspended.

Kerbside recycling bins will be regularly audited and tagged:

- A green tag means you’re a recycling superstar.

- An amber tag means there were a couple of things found in your bin that shouldn’t have been there, but we recognise that you’re trying your best. We’ll let you know what those items are so you know for the future.

-A red tag means your bin is highly contaminated and will not be collected until the contamination is removed. If this happens, you’ll receive a follow-up letter from Council.

If you receive four red tags within six months, your recycling service will be suspended until you’ve discussed re-instating it with one of our team.

There are plenty of ways to learn more about recycling – head online to www.southtaranaki.com/recycling or download our STDC Rubbish and Recycling app (for Android or iPhone) or call one of our team on 0800 111 323.