New kerbside garden waste collections to be available for households

Monday 25 January 2021

Households can now sign up for Tauranga City Council’s new kerbside garden waste collections that will begin in July this year.

Households that would like to sign up for the new kerbside garden waste collections are able to choose between 4-weekly collections ($60 for the 2021/22 rates year, incl. GST), or fortnightly collections ($95 for the 2021/22 rates year, incl. GST) with the cost of each collection being less than $5.

Any household that signs up for the new optional service before 15 May will receive the service from July this year, and the cost of the service will be added to their 2021/22 property rates invoice. This is on top of the new rates charge of $230 to cover the cost of the new council rubbish, recycling and food scraps collections for all residential properties that also begin in July this year. The new $230 rates charge includes GST and the current annual charge of the glass recycling service of $37.34.

The optional garden waste kerbside collections are a 240L wheelie bin, available for residential households only, and are collected on each household’s existing collection day either fortnightly or 4-weekly.

Sam Fellows, Acting Manager of the Sustainability and Waste Team says “the new garden waste service is convenient as well as great value and we encourage households that don’t normally separate their garden waste from their household rubbish to consider taking up the service. Doing so will mean they are actively taking part in helping our city reduce the amount of household waste we send to landfill. Those who currently take their garden waste to the transfer stations may also benefit from the service, if it allows them to make fewer trips to the transfer station overall, saving them time and money on petrol”.

They expect the full suite of new council-led kerbside collections to halve the amount of waste the average household sends to landfill by 2028. This is based on household waste levels seen in other areas in New Zealand with a similar service.

Nearly 70% of Tauranga’s household waste that ends up in landfill could be recycled or composted instead, with 16% being garden waste alone. The garden waste collected will be processed locally into compost and sold to agricultural, horticultural and landscape industries along with other markets throughout New Zealand.

Any household who would like the optional garden waste collections can sign up now at www.tauranga.govt.nz/gardenwaste or by calling 07 577 7000.

Only ratepayers can sign up for the service on behalf of a household because of the additional charge added to property rates, and they will need their customer number and property valuation number to do so.

Tenants who would like to have the garden waste service at their household can ask their landlord or property manager (with permission of the ratepayer) to arrange the service for them.

Households in retirement villages and apartment complexes who are interested in the new garden waste kerbside collections should ask their village manager or body corporate representative to contact the council to set these up on their behalf.

Households who would like the service but will require assistance taking their bins to and from the kerbside for collection due to a physical disability or ailment, will be able to apply for our free assisted service closer to the start of the service in July.

If a household signs up for the new optional garden waste collection before 28 February, the garden waste bin will be delivered at the same time as the new rubbish, recycling and food scraps bins are delivered.

They will be providing more information on delivery timeframes for the new rubbish, recycling and food scraps bins in the coming months. Households will need to sign up before 15 May in order to receive the service for the 2021/22 rates year, starting 1 July.

To sign up for the optional garden waste collections or find out more, visit their website or call 07 577 7000.

Information sessions

Council will be holding information sessions for those who want to learn more about the kerbside waste collection service (rubbish, recycling, food scraps, glass and optional garden waste). Go and talk to them at one of the following: