Kerbside Standardisation
From 1 February, recycling practices nationwide will be standardised. That means most Kiwis will now be able to recycle the same things from home.
These changes are part of the Government’s move to standardise household kerbside collections across Aotearoa New Zealand, led by the Ministry for the Environment.
Thankfully, there isn’t a lot of change for Selwyn.
Aerosols can no longer be recycled via your yellow recycling bin. Please place these in your red bin.
Empty pizza boxes can no longer be placed in your organics bin, but they are welcome in the yellow bin. Pizza and sauce should be in your bellies, not left behind in the box!
Please keep all cardboard and paper out of your organics bin, unless used to line the bin.
Read more about the Ministry for the Environment's kerbside standardisation on their website.
FAQ
| Why are these changes happening? | Collecting the same materials in kerbside recycling services will make it easier for everyone to put items in the right bin no matter where they are in New Zealand. It will also help businesses to design and manufacture packaging they know can be recycled from anywhere in the country. The changes will also help recycling facilities by improving the quality of the materials they receive, so they can recycle more. |
| What can I put in my recycling bin? | Only the following clean items can be placed in your kerbside recycling bin:
|
| What can I put in my organics bin? | Only the following items can be placed in your kerbside organics bin:
|
| Why can I no longer put aerosols in my recycling bin? | Most recycling plants in Aotearoa do not have the safety equipment needed to compact aerosols in a way that prevents fires and ducts any fumes outside of the building. So, as part of standardising recycling on a national level, MfE added aerosols to the list of excluded items. |
| Why can I no longer put pizza boxes and paper towels in my organics bin? | The Ministry for the Environment has provided advice that paper and cardboard items can introduce pollutants into soil such as inks that include heavy metals and/or microplastics. MfE have allowed some paper products as a “discretionary item” when used to line the bin. Empty pizza boxes can be placed in recycling (some grease residue is fine, but no sauce or food). |
How should I prepare my items for recycling? | Take off the lids (lids in the rubbish, please), rinse out any dirty items, and put your containers out for recycling. |
Why can’t I recycle lids from home? | Lids are too small to be separated by machinery at recycling plants. Sorting machinery can also mistake flat lids for paper, so they contaminate paper recycling. |
Why can’t I recycle plant pots? | Some plant pots are plastic #5 and some aren’t but they can look identical. Plant pots are mainly black. Black plastic can’t be recognised by optical sorters so they end up not being recycled. Check if your local gardening centre or hardware store has a plant pot recycling drop-off. |
How well do I need to rinse my recycling? | A quick scrub out in cold water is enough. You could rinse your recycling when you’re doing your dishes. |
Do I need to take the labels off my cans and containers before recycling? | Labels are screened out as contamination during the reprocessing of each material stream. You don’t have to, but it helps. |
Should I take the lids off my food tins? | Either leave the lid partially attached and fold it into the can, or place removed lids inside the can and squeeze the can shut securely. Loose lids can contaminate other recycling streams so it’s important that food tin lids do not become separated from the tin. |
Are aerosols a health and safety hazard? | When not completely empty, aerosols can explode under pressure and cause fires at recycling facilities. Some aerosols contain poisonous contents such as insecticides and automotive sprays. Staff at recycling facilities may be exposed to these contents when aerosols are damaged or crushed for baling. |
What happens to my recycling? | Selwyn’s kerbside recycling is taken to EcoCentral in Christchurch where it is combined with recycling collected from other Canterbury councils, sorted, processed, baled and sold. |
| What can I do with recyclable items that aren't allowed in my recycling bin? | Some items cannot be recycled from home, but you can take them to the Pines Resource Recovery Park in Burnham for recycling. For example:
|