FAQs relating to rubbish, recycling, paper, cardboard and inorganic collection
What do I do with my paper and cardboard?
Paper and cardboard is collected fortnightly along with your Recycling Wheelie Bin. Your paper and cardboard should be presented next to your bin, in a plastic bag or securely bundled with natural twine. Please place out before 7.00am on your day of collection.
Commercial premises paper and cardboard will be collected every Monday and Wednesday night after 6pm.
When does the inorganic collection take place?
The inorganic collection occurs over a 20 week period each year, between July and November/December. You will receive a letter in the mail the week prior to your collection. Please do not put any material out before notification of your collection week. See our Inorganic Collection Information page.
Council’s bylaw and the Litter Act (1979) both have clauses prohibiting the storage of materials on the kerbside (unless out for lawful collection services). Any person responsible for breaching this bylaw may be liable for fines or prosecution.
Businesses are not entitled to participate in the inorganic collection.
What do I do if rubbish has been dumped on my land, carpark, lawn?
If rubbish has been dumped outside your house, please note down the details of who dumped it (if known), type of waste, date dumped etc, and provide any written evidence to Actionline for further action.
Litter infringements may be issued for dumping on public and private property. Council employs enforcement officers who investigate incidents for the purpose of prosecution.
Please note council will only collect rubbish from public places. Dumping on private land is the responsibility of the owner to cleanup and dispose of appropriately.
What size are the North Shore City official pre-paid rubbish bags?
There are 40 litre (10kg) and 60 litre (15kg) orange pre-paid bags available for retail.
Official pre-paid rubbish bags can be purchased from your local dairies and supermarkets.
What are the collection times for rubbish, recycling, paper and cardboard?
See the Collection Days pages here
How do I get a Recycling Wheelie Bin?
If you haven’t yet received your Recycling Wheelie Bin, please contact Actionline, phone (09) 486 8600 or email actionline@northshorecity.govt.nz.
What if my bin gets damaged, needs repairing or is stolen?
Bins will be repaired and or replaced at no cost to the resident if they are damaged during the collection. Normal wear and tear of the bin will also be repaired. Stolen bins will be replaced at no extra cost. Please contact Actionline on (09) 486 8600 for further details.
Can I put my paper and cardboard inside the Recycling Wheelie Bin?
No, the Recycling Wheelie Bin is only used for glass, plastic bottles and containers with the symbols 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, steel and aluminium cans, and aerosol cans.
Your paper and cardboard should be presented next to the bin in a plastic bag or securely bundled with natural twine.
Can I put my paper and cardboard in the old green recycling crate?
No, paper and cardboard should be presented next to your Recycling Wheelie Bin in a plastic bag or securely bundled with twine or string.
What happens if the Recycling Wheelie Bin is full after 2 weeks? Can I place out an extra Recycling Wheelie Bin, my old green recycling bin, or can I get another bin?
The new Recycling Wheelie Binis over three times the size of your previous green crate. Only one bin is issued per rateable premises. If for any reason you do have excess recycling store it in your old green crate and empty into blue bin for your next collection day. Please do not put out a crate or bin, these will not be collected.
Where should I put my paper and cardboard, Recycling Wheelie Bin and pre-paid rubbish bags for collection?
Please place out on the kerbside, no later than 7.00am on the day of your collection. The Recycling Wheelie Bin should be stored on your property at all times, except during collection and then returned promptly after collection. When placing your rubbish and recycling out for collection on the kerbside try to have the items as close to the kerbside as possible, but without impeding foot traffic on the footpath. Please place your recycling bin atleast 500mm from other recycling bins, lamposts, mailboxes, etc.
What happens if I am in a MUP (multi unit premises)? Is the arrangement the same?
Multi unit dwellings, if individually rated, are entitled to one Recycling Wheelie Bin per property. In circumstances of limited storage space or an excessive amount of bins being placed on the street, council may consider a larger Recycling Wheelie Bin for communal use. Please contact your Body Corporate Trust or Property Manager to discuss this matter further.
What if other people dump rubbish in my Recycling Wheelie Bin?
It is the responsibility of the householder to ensure that their Recycling Wheelie Bin is placed out at the correct time, and bought in promptly after collection, to reduce the possibility of others placing material in the bin. If dumping does occur, please remove all contaminants prior to collection. These materials should be placed in a official council pre-paid rubbish bag and placed out for collection.
Please ensure your Recycling Wheelie Bin is placed out before 7.00am the morning of your collection and brought in as soon as possible after collection to avoid the possibility of dumping. The less time your wheelie bin is on the street, the less chance there is for rubbish to find its way into the bin.
What do I do with asbestos?
Council does not provide a collection or disposal service for asbestos waste. Please check the Yellow Pages under Asbestos for assistance.
How do I dispose of energy saving light bulbs (compact florescent light bulbs) correctly?
These should be taken to HazMobile for safe and correct disposal. However, if broken these bulbs release mercury vapours and require special handling to clean up. As the special handling procedures are not currently printed on the packaging of household CFL bulbs in New Zealand, the procedures are listed below:
- Open doors and windows to ventilate the room (it’s suggested you ventilate the room for at least 15 minutes) before you start cleaning up the broken pieces.
- Do not vacuum the site as this can disperse the particles.
- Your greatest risk is being cut by broken glass, so as a precaution, you should wear gloves when handling the broken light bulb.
- Scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a plastic bag and seal it or tie its open end.
- Wrap the plastic bag of broken pieces with paper to prevent cuts.
- Wipe the area with a damp paper towel to pick up any smaller shards of glass, powder or liquid. You could also use wide sticky tape (such as duct tape) to pick up small glass shards, if the broken bulb is in a carpeted area.
- Dispose of the paper towels, gloves and any cloths used to clean the area by placing in a plastic bag and tying it shut, and placing it in your rubbish bag or bin with your normal household rubbish.
For further information, please refer to the Ministry for the Environment New Zealand website.
What should I do with my old computer?
There are a number of avenues you can try to find your computer a new home.
The ARK is an Auckland based computer recycler which places refurbished computers in schools. Contact the ARK to find out if they are interested in your computer or parts www.the-ark.co.nz
Some computer companies such as Dell offer a recycling service. It is usually free for large pick-ups but for typical household volumes there may be a charge of about twenty to thirty dollars. For information about your brand of computer, type the 'brand name' and 'recycling' into a search engine on the internet.
If you are contacting a company that remanufactures or recycles computers, ask them these three questions to ensure they are not just stripping the valuable parts and dumping the hazardous waste into landfill:
- What happens to the hazardous CRT (cathode-ray tube) glass if we use you?
- What happens to the Flame Retardant Plastics removed from e-waste if we use you?
- What happens to the hazardous Printed Circuit Boards from e-waste if we use you?
There are also three online forums that specialise in linking old goods with new homes:
Freecycle - an online community (similar to Trade-me but no money involved) where you can post just about anything, including broken. Go the the Freecycle website for more information.
Donate NZ Ltd- links donors (individuals, businesses etc) to schools and charities that could use the goods. Paper and cardboard are hot items, but even a live frog found a new home through Donate NZ Ltd. Go the the Donate NZ Ltd. website for more information.
RENEW - mostly deals with commercial volumes and waste products. A place to look for 40 plastic pails monthly etc. Go the the RENEW website for more information.
In 2007 NSCC took part in a national e-Day. This collected 386 tonnes of e-waste and tested the viability of collecting e-waste in this manner. Currently no further computer collections are planned.
The Ministry for the Environment are working with the computer industry to setup a national product stewardship programme to recycle computers. The national programme is expected to begin operation in 2009.
What should we do with our old tyres?
Residents should make enquires at their local tyre retailers concerning the disposal of old or used tyres. Most retailers do accept used tyres. A small fee is normally charged by the retailer for disposal of the tyres.
What happens to our tyres once we have handed them over to tyre retailers?
Tyre retailers hand the tyres over to a tyre* recycling company. Tyres are then recycled (shredded) and are used in the following ways:
- Shredded material (varying size) whole form
- Sports turf management
- Fenders in the marine/boating industry
- Horse arena surfaces
- Construction of artificial reefs
- Roading surface
- Worm farms
- Firing range back stop materials
- Shoe soles
- Rubber bollards and road dividers
- Alternative fuel source
* Please ensure when handing over tyres to local tyre retailers that they are environmentally conscious and that they promote recycling. No tyres should go to landfill.
Why can’t our tyres be placed out in the inorganic collection?
It is up to each and every resident to ensure that they dispose of their own tyres in a responsible and environmentally friendly manner. As tyres do not go to landfill with the rest of the inorganic material collected, council is burdened with the costs associated with disposal of thousands of tyres to tyre recycle companies. Landfill is not an option for used tyres as disposal in landfill releases harmful compounds into the environment. These compounds include polyaromatic hydrocarbons, benzene and phenol which have carcinogenic properties. Many countries have placed a ban on the disposal of tyres in landfills.
What do I do with my leftover pre-paid rubbish bag coupons?
Although pre-paid refuse coupons have been phased, any refuse bags presented with a coupon will be collected.
North Shore City Council is no longer supplying pre-paid refuse coupons to retail outlets, as such once these stocks have been sold residents will only be able to utilise the NSCC refuse collection by presenting official orange refuse bags (once they have exhausted their personal store of pre-paid refuse coupons).
Where to find information on the Junk Mail Bylaw?
For details on the NSCC bylaw relating to Unaddressed Advertising Material please see the City Bylaw Part 4 - Section 4.
Do I need a waste collectors licence?
If you are a company or individual whom collects, transports or disposes of over 20 tonnes of waste to landfill each year, you are required to apply for a licence to conduct this activity.
Waste licence application form (PDF 50KB)
For further information
If you have any further questions please contact Actionline, phone (09) 486 8600 or email actionline@northshorecity.govt.nz.
