Rubbish bags and recycling bins

Rubbish bin, Recycling bin and Trash bag.

You can purchase official Council rubbish bags and rubbish stickers at:

supermarkets
dairies
service stations.

You can use:

official council rubbish bags (max 10kg)
other rubbish bags 65 litres or less with an official sticker
rubbish bags over 65 litres or garden bags won’t be collected, even if partially filled.

Safety tip: wrap sharp objects and double-bag tissues or hazardous items.

Charges for rubbish bags and transfer station fees are reviewed annually.

You can use our recycling and disposal guide to help with the reuse, recycling and safe disposal options for everyday products and household items.

A to Z recycling and disposal guide

Wheelie bins

We do not provide wheelie bins. These are provided by private companies.

Recycling bins

Each household is entitled to:

one red bin – for plastics and metals
one blue bin – for glass.

Red bin - plastics and metals

Use your red bin for:

plastics #1, #2 and #5
metal food and drink cans.

Plastic bottles must be:

rinsed
squashed flat (if possible)
lids removed.

Recyclable plastic numbers

Blue bin - glass only

Use your blue bin for:

clean, unbroken glass bottles and jars (any colour)
lids removed.

Do not include:

light bulbs
mirrors.

Where to get your bins

You can collect red and blue bins from the following locations:

Damaged or missing bins

You can get a replacement bin if yours is:

damaged
stolen
missing from a new property

No need to bring the broken bin. A friend or neighbour can collect it for you.

Need an extra bin (beyond the standard two)? It costs $19.00.

Old bins can be:

recycled at a transfer station
repurposed at home
broken into smaller pieces and placed in your rubbish bin.

Moving house

Recycling bins stay with the property. Please leave them behind for the next residents.

Paper and cardboard

Do not place paper or cardboard in rubbish bags or recycling bins.

Instead:

flatten into a small pile
place in a bag or small box next to your rubbish bag.

What can't go in your kerbside recycling?

Some items can't go in your red or blue bins, including:

takeaway coffee cups and lids
broken glass
liquid paper board cartons
containers over four litres (4L).

Use our A to Z Recycling and Disposal Guide for safe disposal options.

A to Z recycling and disposal guide

What can be recycled elsewhere?

Items like these can be recycled at other facilities:

e-waste
light bulbs
batteries
soft plastics etc.

Check our A to Z Recycling and Disposal Guide for full details.

A to Z recycling and disposal guide

Where does your recycling go?

Glass is recycled in a plant at Auckland. The glass is then mixed with other raw materials and fed into a furnace where it is melted down to make bottles and jars.

Cardboard is sent to a mill in Auckland for processing.

Paper goes to an Auckland mill to be processed. This mill uses 100% recovered paper to make corrugated cardboard.

Tin cans and all plastics go to Auckland, where they are separated before being sent on for recycling.

Recyclable plastics 1, 2 and 5 depending on the type, are either processed here in New Zealand or sent to Australia and Southeast Asia to be made into just about anything, for example buckets, polyester fibre and wheelie bins.

Aluminium is used to make new aerosol and drink cans overseas.

Steel is made into food cans, wire and building materials in Asia.

Why export some recyclables?

New Zealand’s small population means we don’t generate a lot of recyclable material, so there’s not as much demand for recycling processing facilities in this country.

Even though exporting our recyclables overseas means that they need to be transported further, it’s often a better environmental option than using raw materials.

Report it

Use our online form to report a missed household rubbish or recycling collection.

Report your missed collection

You can also report other rubbish and recycling issues.

Report an issue

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