kerbside.c We re giving you Second edition
Lift off. Go live. Call it what you will. This is the date the change to your new kerbside refuse and recycling collections begins.* Turn the pages for the details. *Depending on where you live, your first collection day may be later that week. See page 3 to find out how to tell which day you will receive your collection.
Your new kerbside collection What s the same? Rubbish bags are still collected every week. The same changeover date for everyone. What s new? A new wheelie bin for plastics, cans and paper. Your collection schedule has changed. Your crate is now only for glass. Recycling is now collected fortnightly. But, but, but... We ve been asked loads of questions about the changes and have answered most of them in this handbook.
First things first: What day is your new collection day? To make it super easy to remember, we ve written it on your bin. The next page shows how to read the sticker you ll find on the side of your bin. 4
Do not remove from this address An easy way to remember 007 Bond Street Bin 1 Tue 1 Each wheelie bin is assigned to a specific street address. Each bin s address is written on the sticker. Every bin has a unique number 007 Bond Street Bin # Do not remove from this address Tue 1 This is the day of the week for both your weekly rubbish and fortnightly recycling collections. So, for example, if it says Tue then your normal collection day for weekly rubbish bags is Tuesday. It also means that your fortnightly recycling collection will also be on a Tuesday. Unless there s a public holiday that week. There will be no collections on a public holiday and collections will all be a day later that week. Tue 1 This shows whether you are assigned to week 1 or week 2 for fortnightly recycling collections. The calendar on the next page shows the week schedules. Tip: The day on your sticker is the day for all your collections 5
Which is my recycling week? The sticker on your bin* will show whether your recycling collections are on week 1 or week 2. Weeks start counting from the launch of the new schedule: 14 October 2013. *See previous page for an explanation of the bin sticker and where to find it. October 2013 November 2013 m t w t f s s m t w t f s s 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 28 29 30 31 25 26 27 28 29 30 December 2013 m t w t f s s 1 January 2014 m t w t f s s 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 27 28 29 30 31 30 31 6 Changes for Coromandel and Whiritoa peak summer collections will be published separately.
Key (Using a sample week from October as an example:) Week 1 is pink 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Week 2 is blue Public holidays 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Changed days* February 2014 March 2014 m t w t f s s m t w t f s s 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 April 2014 m t w t f s s 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 *Public Holiday changes When a public holiday falls on a collection day, kerbside collections normally scheduled for the following days in that week will be a day later. We ve listed all public holidays from October 2013 to ANZAC Day 2014 so you can see how it works. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 The public holiday has a black dot. 28 29 30 The blue strip that follows shows when your collection is a day later. 7
M The rules Please put your kerbside collections out by 7:30am 7:30 One of the reasons is that a driver may be away for the day or a truck may be off the road for regular maintenance and another truck and driver fill in on your route starting from a different home base. As long as you ve put your collections out by 7:30am, it ll never matter and you ll never miss your collection. Place bins at least half-a-metre away from other objects This gives the truck s mechanical arm the room it needs to pick up the bin. If you have trouble measuring, use the bin width as a handy spacer. Make sure lids are closed and the front of the bin faces the road (wheels are at the back). If you have any questions about your bins, collections, or fortnightly schedules, please call your local Council: Hauraki District Council 07 862 8609 Matamata-Piako District Council 07 884 0060 Thames-Coromandel District Council 07 868 0200 kerbside.co.nz 8
What goes in your wheelie bin? Recycling Clean plastic (1-7) Clean tins/cans Paper and cardboard What can t go in? Liquids Rubbish Ceramics Crockery Porcelain Hot ashes Oven ware Food waste Polystyrene Bubble wrap Garden waste Electrical goods Engine oil bottles Automotive parts Disposable nappies Paint and chemicals 9
What goes in your crate? Glass* Only recycle empty glass bottles and jars (clear, amber, blue and green.) No broken glass. *We DON T recycle light bulbs and fluorescent tubes, pyrex dishes and ovenware, china and crockery cups, saucers, plates drinking glasses, window glass, opal glass, glass bricks, medical and laboratory glass containers, TV tubes and computer screens. Why? Because New Zealand s glass recycling furnaces can t process this kind of glass. 10
What goes in your bags? Landfill If you want to reduce what goes to landfill, here s where you start. The less you put in here, the less goes to landfill. 11
Frequently Asked Questions How will I ever fill a bin this big? Remember, you don t have to fill it right to the top every time. You can fill it up over a few weeks, or just put it out with a few items in it. Our contractors will still empty the bottom half! I m the same size as my wheelie bin. How am I supposed to push it? It has wheels and a handle. You tilt it and roll it along. But what if it s too heavy? Empty your milk bottles before you put them in the bin. The problem with most recycling is not weight, it s the space it takes up, especially in landfill. That s why we ve given you a big wheelie bin for starters. Give it a try. But my driveway is on a hill. I can just see myself flying behind it in my jammies and bunny slippers, holding on for dear life. If you re finding your 240L wheelie bin too big once the enhanced service has started, please contact us and we can look at swapping it for an 80L wheelie bin. So I can order a smaller lighter wheelie bin? Yes, but the smaller bin is not much lighter than the bigger one. The bins are quite light and recycling is not very heavy. It just takes up space. Try the 240L bin. You ll be surprised how much you can recycle. 12
Frequently Asked Questions Why do we need a new recycling service? We need to be smarter about how we manage rubbish. The amount of rubbish going to landfill is not sustainable. This new system allows you to recycle a lot more in a simple, easy and convenient way. In addition, the three Thames Valley councils have joined forces to deliver an enhanced service, which over the long-run will cost us all less. The 3-council contract will bring savings to users and ratepayers of over $4.7M over ten years. Transport costs are reduced (a local landfill is being used and we re sharing trucks with our neighbours) and we re also reducing the workload on the Refuse Transfer Facilities (more is collected at kerbside). I fill a crate with bottles on a single Friday night alone. Can I have more crates? Yes. You can use as many plastic crates as you like. You also don t have to use official crates, as long as your other plastic crates are sturdy and safe for lifting and of a similar size to our own glass recycling crates. Follow that advice, put it out and we ll collect it. We want you to recycle, after all. My recycling crate is missing. How do I get another one? The recycling crates are available for purchase from your local Council office or Refuse Transfer Station. The first bin per new dwelling is supplied free and if you bring a broken bin in to your nearest Service Centre it can be replaced for free. Will areas with greater summer population have increased collections in summer? Yes. On the Coromandel Peninsula, there will be additional kerbside collection schedules for the peak summer period. Your local Council will let you know of any schedule changes. Will our rubbish bags cost the same when the new service begins? Yes. The same official bag service remains. 13
Bin 1 007 Frequently Asked Questions What can I do to keep gulls and dogs from getting into my rubbish bag? Buy a Gullinator for $15! This invention is the brainchild of a Whangamata resident, Anna Fryer. Mrs Fryer said she was appalled by the mess and embarrassed when visitors to the town arrived to find littered rubbish bags. She knew permanent residents were tired of having to clean up after seagulls struck and decided complaints were not of much help, (we tried to discuss the matter with the seagulls, but to no avail,) so she invented a solution and with the help of locals, named it the Gullinator. Made from sturdy plastic mesh, a hoop and drawstring top, it was product tested and modified by one of our Solid Waste Officers and is now providing a cost-effective solution to pesky gulls pecking at rubbish bags on collection day. It also works for dogs. Thames-Coromandel District Council has purchased a batch and re-sells them from its area offices. Of course, you could also make sure you only put your bags out on the right collection day. I have a long driveway or I live on a hill and a wheelie bin will be difficult for me to place at the kerbside. Many people live on hills or have long drive ways or both. Some are even lucky enough to have driveways close to the beach and made of sand. If you need to tow your wheelie bin to the kerbside by car, you can purchase special wheelie bin tow bar attachments. Search online for wheelie bin tow bar attachment and see what you find or visit your nearest hardware store. The smaller 80L bin will also fit inside many cars. But if you can drive a full recycling crate now, you should be able to manage a wheelie bin which has wheels. Do not remove from this address Bond Street Tue 1 14
Frequently Asked Questions What happens if my wheelie bin is damaged or stolen? If your wheelie bin is stolen, please contact your council as each bin has a unique ID number that can be scanned to locate it if we find it at another location. Damaged or stolen wheelie bins will be replaced at your cost. A new 240L wheelie bin costs $65 (excludes delivery), a new 80L wheelie bin costs $56 (excludes delivery). Who owns the wheelie bin? The wheelie bins aren t owned by residents, but are allocated by the Councils to reside at an individual property (ratable unit). All bins have a unique ID that can be scanned to identify what property the wheelie bin is allocated to. If a wheelie bin is misplaced or stolen, we can find out where it belongs if it is recovered at another address. If I sell my house, can I take my wheelie bin with me? No, the wheelie bin is allocated to the property and must stay with the property for the new owners or tenants to use. How are granny flats serviced under the kerbside collection? Where a property has not been subdivided, but has had a granny flat built on the same land parcel as the primary residence, only the primary residence will receive the standard service wheelie bins. This is because the entire property is only paying one set of rates. So the bin will need to be shared. The simple rule is that if your property has it s own rating number and letterbox number, a bin will be allocated and the sticker on the side of the bin will specify to which property address it belongs. Is there an inorganic collection for appliances/old furniture etc? No. However, local charities often appreciate donations of furniture or appliances you no longer want. Otherwise you can take it to your local Refuse Transfer Station. This includes heavy metal objects, old appliances, furniture, decorating materials, old paints and garden waste. 15
Frequently Asked Questions What do I do with garden waste? If you do not wish to compost your garden waste then it can be taken to your local Refuse Transfer Station where you will be charged a fee for its disposal. Why do you say we re getting more when we re actually getting less because the recycling collection is fortnightly? Previously you had one crate for all your recycling. Now you have the same crate plus at least twice that capacity added on. You re also getting more bang for your ratepayer dollar. There will be more recycling at the new depot. And more local jobs at the new depot. And a put-back service. And you still get the same official rubbish bag service and you can still can put out bottles. Having lived here for 30 years we know how much recycling we and our neighbours use, even at peak periods. Volumes are not going to change, so please could you advise us how the district is going to reduce waste going to landfill? We re doing our part to increase diversion from landfill by providing more recycling capacity with the new wheelie bin. So if you and your neighbours want to help us all reduce waste going to landfill, you won t miss the opportunity to use it more. Wheelie bins are of little use to those of us who have holiday homes as we usually would put the rubbish out when we leave. Some of us do not return to our property for a couple of months so in these cases, the wheelie bin would be on the street for long periods. We can t rely on our neighbours to bring them in for us because they are normally holiday homes as well and often there is nobody there either. What can we do? Use the Put Back service. There will be an online order form that you can fill in and book so the truck drivers can plan their runs accordingly. You ll be mailed a tag that you leave on your bin and when your bin is emptied, the contractors will put your bin back inside your property boundary. Or, you can drop off recycling FREE at any of our refuse transfer stations on the way home, or any time before you go. 16
Frequently Asked Questions Will Council provide free recycling bags for those who don t get wheelie bins? The extra bins are only given to those already getting a collection. Why not have two crates the same size as the present crates and split the glass from the paper and plastic? The glass is being split from the paper and plastic. The glass goes in the crate and the paper and plastic in the wheelie bin. You can just put crate-sized amounts in the wheelie bin if you wish. Why was there no public input before the changes were implemented? The Eastern Waikato Solid Waste Joint Committee produced a Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP) in February 2012. All three Councils put out loads of information about it so that anyone could give input and we continue to welcome your feedback on our new kerbside service. One last question: Why are the rubbish bags shown in blue, yellow and black? The three different councils each have different coloured rubbish bags. Thames-Coromandel District Council has blue, Matamata-Piako District Council has black and Hauraki District Council has yellow. 17
New materials recovery facility at Kopu brings ten new jobs A brand new materials recovery facility (MRF) in Kopu - with 10 new jobs - has been established by Smart Environmental Ltd after winning the joint collection of solid waste contract for Thames- Coromandel, Matamata-Piako and Hauraki. Owned by Thames-born Grahame Christian, Smart Environmental is New Zealand s largest privately owned Waste and Recycling Company and won the contract over two other tenders received following a 2012 call for expressions of interest. The new MRF is at the Carter Holt Harvey site on Ngati Maru Highway and includes an educational facility and new machinery to promote our goal of waste minimisation under the joint council Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP). The facility has been built at no cost to ratepayers, is owned and operated by Smart Environmental Ltd and will not preclude other community-based providers from establishing waste reduction initiatives with other materials not economically viable for Smart Environmental. As a local, I feel so privileged to be working in an area that is home to myself and our very large whanau, says Christian. Alongside Smart Environmental, all three councils will continue to stimulate community enterprise in the field of waste reduction. The contract makes room for other providers in our community if they have practical and economically viable initiatives for diverting waste. The three Councils support numerous community-based initiatives that educate, reduce waste to landfill and provide employment in our district, and there ll be even more opportunity in the future for reliable, established community organisations that have an interest in the field of waste reduction and can deliver initiatives alongside Smart Environmental.
Bin 1 007 Bond Street Do not remove from this address Tue 1 Welcome to the new Kerbside Collection service for Hauraki, Matamata-Piako and Thames-Coromandel District Councils. There are changes to your regular collection services, not the least of which is the addition of a new wheelie bin to give you more capacity for recycling. So, then, to the details: Which day of the week is your collection from 14 October? How will you know which week is your recycling collection? What goes in the bin and what goes everywhere else? It s all inside the handbook. kerbside.co.nz