Weekly rubbish and recycling collection

You can use an official Council rubbish bag or any other approved bag as long as it has an official rubbish sticker on it. Official bags and stickers are sold at most dairies, service stations and supermarkets.

Approved container statement(PDF, 58KB)

Non-official bags must be 65 litres or less (large kleensak or black trash sack for example). Oversized or garden bags, even if only partially filled, won't be collected.

Charges for rubbish collection bags

Charges for transfer stations and official rubbish bags for kerbside collection are set annually.

The current charges are:

• Official rubbish bag (65-litre) or sticker $3.00
• Small rubbish bag (35-litre) $1.80

Each household is entitled to two recycling bins:

• one red bin - for plastic and metal recycling (i.e. type one, two and five plastics, tins or aluminium cans)
• one blue bin - for glass recycling (i.e. glass bottles and jars - clean, unbroken, any colour)

Your recycle bins belong to your property.

If your bins are damaged, stolen or you have moved into a property where no bin has been left, you can pick up a new one at our Customer Service Centres. 

Forum North customer service centre
7 Rust Avenue, Whangārei
Monday to Friday - 8:00am to 4:30pm
Closed public holidays

Ruakākā service centre 
9 Takutai Place, Ruakākā
Monday to Friday - 8:30am to 4:00pm
Closed public holidays

If you are not able to visit in person, a friend or neighbour can pick one up for you.

Damaged bins

If your bin is damaged please bring it in when picking up the new one so we can recycle it. Replacement bins are free of charge.

Moving house

If you move house, please leave it behind for the next occupants.

• Remember to wrap any sharp objects before putting them in your rubbish.
• Please double-bag tissues or other potentially hazardous items.
• Plastic bottles need to be rinsed, squashed flat (if possible) and lids removed before you put them in your red recycling bin.
• If you have more items than can fit into a standard recycling bin or rubbish bag, please keep the excess until the next week's collection or take it to a rubbish and recycling station.
• Whiteware, hazardous waste, and e-waste goes to rubbish and recycling stations.

Glass

• Yes: glass bottles and jars - with lids removed.
  • Larger lids (e.g. jam jars) should be unscrewed from glass jars and placed in your red recycle bin.
  • Typically steel lids are lined with a very thin layer of plastic. Because of the high-temps used to recycle metal, it's burned off.
• No: window glass, light bulbs, crystal, ceramics/pottery, drinking glasses, or broken glass.

Put clean, unbroken glass jars and bottles in your blue bin.

Bottle caps

• Bottle caps for beer or drinks that come in glass jars can be metal or aluminium. Test it by using a magnet, and separate them.
• Store steel caps inside of a steel can and aluminium caps inside of an aluminium one.
• Fill the can half way full with the caps, and then place the lid of the can on top of the caps. Then crimp the opening of the can ensuring the caps and lid can't escape. You can now recycle this in your kerbside bin.

Paper and cardboard

• Yes: newspapers, magazines, junk mail, envelopes, flattened cardboard boxes, shoe boxes, cartons, old phone books.
• No: plastic coated paper and card - for example, cardboard milk and juice containers.

All paper and card should be flattened and placed beside your recycle bins. You can tie it in a bundle, put in a plastic bag or into a flattened cardboard box. Make sure all paper and card is folded into a bundle no bigger than your red recycling bin. If you are putting your paper and card into a box, make sure the box is no bigger than your red recycle bin. 

Paper and card do not need to be separated from each other, simply separated from other recycling (glass, plastic, metal etc.).

Plastic

• Yes: all plastics marked '1', '2' and '5' (except containers of motor oil, please see below). Maximum size of 4 litres for all plastic containers - larger ones cannot be collected at kerb side as they take up too much space in the truck. Plastic bottles need to be rinsed, squashed flat (if possible), and lids removed. Small lids should be put in your rubbish.
• No: plastic bags.

Plastic bottles that contained motor oil, even if they are marked with a '1', '2' or '5', as the oil contaminates the plastic and is difficult to clean off.

Metal

• Yes: aluminium drink cans, clean foil plates, steel food cans, empty aerosol containers.

Please squash cans flat to reduce volume.

If waste is unsuitable for kerbside collection i.e. bulky waste, green waste, hazardous waste or e-waste it can be dropped off at rubbish and recycling stations. Read more information on this page:

Rubbish and recycling stations

All recycled waste collected is reused.

• Cardboard is sent to a mill in South Waikato for processing.
• Paper goes to an Auckland mill to become newsprint, etc.
• Glass is recycled in an Auckland plant which converts the old glass into new bottles.
• Tin cans and all plastics go to Auckland, where they are separated before being sent on for recycling.