Contamination of kerbside recycling is a big issue for South Taranaki and the whole region. Nearly a quarter of the district’s items going into the yellow or green lid recycling bins either can’t be recycled, or aren't being cleaned properly and are contaminating good recyclables.
All of South Taranaki’s recycling is transported to the Materials Recovery Facility in New Plymouth where processors sort it into different categories. Contaminated recycling can affect a large amount of good recycling, which then needs to be sent to landfill.
To help combat contamination, we've introduced a system where repeat offenders will have their kerbside collection recycling service suspended. Kerbside recycling bins are regularly audited and tagged with a green, amber, or red tag.
- A green tag means you’re a recycling superstar.
- An amber tag means there were a couple of things found in your bin that shouldn’t be there, but we recognise that you’re trying your best. We’ll let you know what those items are so you know for the future.
- A red tag means your bin is highly contaminated and will not be collected until the contamination is removed. If this happens, you’ll receive a follow-up letter from the Council. If you receive four red tags, your recycling service will be suspended for three months.
