Recycling rules have changed for much of New Zealand on Thursday.
Last year, the previous Government introduced a plan to standardise recycling nationwide.
From February 1, everyone in New Zealand will have to follow identical guidelines for what items can and cannot be placed in their kerbside recycling bins.
Previously, regions had different rules for what was accepted in local council collections. It's hoped the new rules will make recycling the correct items easier for everyone and reduce the amount of contaminated items in recycling bins.
What can you recycle?
From Thursday, all district and city councils will accept plastic bottles, trays and containers graded 1, 2 and 5 in recycling bins. Paper, cardboard and cans will also be accepted. Glass is also accepted but some councils will collect that in a separate bin.
Items that will be accepted in your kerbside recycling bin from February 1 2024:
- Glass bottles and jars
- Paper and cardboard
- Plastic bottles, trays, and containers (grades 1, 2 and 5 only)
- Tin, steel and aluminium cans
The grade of plastic containers can be deduced from a small triangle symbol with a number in the middle that will be on the container.
Auckland Council said while some spice containers can't be recycled, ones that are more than 50mm tall and made of container glass or plastics (1,2 or 5) are accepted. That means most herb and spice containers you get from the supermarket are recyclable.
What can't you recycle?
New items excluded from 1 February 2024:
- Items less than 50mm (e.g. caps, small cosmetic and spice containers)
- Aerosol cans (steel and aluminium)
- Liquid paperboard (Tetrapak and juice boxes)
- Plastics 3, 4, 6 and 7
- Aluminium foil and trays
- All lids
- Items over 4 litres
If you're not sure whether you're already recycling correctly you can take a test on Auckland Council's website.
While reducing the use of single-use items is the best way to reduce waste, the second best is recycling correctly.
"This change is another important step along the path to Auckland's goal of zero waste by 2040," said Auckland councillor Richard Hills, who is also the chair of the Planning, Environment and Parks Committee.
Auckland Council said some items that have never been accepted in recycling, are still showing up.
These include:
- Food
- Textiles, carpets and clothes
- Nappies, medical waste and garden waste
- Soft plastic and plastic bags
- Bagged recycling and rubbish
- Lithium-ion batteries and appliances.
Some of these can be recycled, just not through the council, and people are encouraged to investigate community recycling centres or other avenues.
The best way to stay on top of your recycling is with the Binny app, avaliable on Google Play or the App Store.
There are real benefits to minimising the amount of material going to landfill. Landfill space is becoming a real premium up and down the country, so anything people can do to minimise the material going into landfills is a good thing for the country.
According to the Ministry for the Environment, standardising recycling means an extra 36,000 tonnes of waste will be recycled each year - so long as Kiwis follow the advice.
The new standards were supposed to be nationwide but some councils lack the infrastructure to handle the changes. Clutha, Hurunui, Westland and Gore District Councils have until 2027 to get up to speed.
