Improvements for Taranaki’s rubbish and recycling collection

Taranaki’s three district councils have approved a new waste contact that will see service improvements at rural transfer stations and residential rubbish and recycling collection across the region from October next year.

The South Taranaki, Stratford and New Plymouth district councils have signed a 10-year contract with Waste Management NZ which also includes new trucks and ability to better identify recycling contamination.

“We’re continuing with a regional approach to this service as it gives all three councils greater efficiency,” says NPDC Manager Infrastructure Rui Leitão.

Stratford District Council Director Assets, Victoria Araba, says the improvements in recycling auditing at the kerbside is an exciting move forward.

“This will support our ongoing waste education initiatives to minimise contamination in our recycling, thereby reducing the ‘contaminated recycling’ waste going to landfill.”

The contract includes:

• More fuel-efficient trucks throughout the region, including two electric collection vehicles for New Plymouth District.
• Smaller trucks to service difficult to access streets in New Plymouth District.
• A truck that collects both glass and food scraps at the same time for New Plymouth and South Taranaki (resulting in fewer trucks on the road).
• Improved facilities at rural transfer stations, to ensure they continue to meet community needs.
• An increase in recycling bin auditing across the region to reduce contamination.

The existing kerbside collection service and transfer stations will continue with Enviro NZ until the new contract starts on 1 October; however, the New Plymouth Transfer Station on Colson Road will still be operated by Enviro NZ after 1 October.

In South Taranaki District, general waste and recycling collections are moving from weekly to fortnightly as well as a weekly food scrap collection. A calendar will be provided to households with the changed collection days before the new service starts.

Nothing changes for New Plymouth and Stratford district residents with the current calendar for residential collections “continuing as-is”, says Rui.

Fast facts

• In 2022/23, the three Taranaki district councils sent a combined 41,249 tonnes of waste to the landfill, and recycled 8650T of mixed recycling and 6300T of organic material.
• More than 42,000 households throughout Taranaki receive a rubbish and recycling collection service.
• There are 13 transfer stations across the region.