Pay-as-you-throw tags on sale now

Western Bay staff with the Kerbside Collective PAYT tags.

Pre-paid rubbish bin tags aimed to financially incentivise Western Bay residents to reduce their waste are now on sale.

One month out from Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s new kerbside rubbish and recycling service, starting July 1, the pay-as-you-throw rubbish tags are available at the following stockists across the District. The recommended retail price is $3.95 for each tag.

The fluorescent orange pre-paid tags are for the red lid rubbish bin component of the new service. The tags and council’s bins are not to be used before July 1.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council (Barkes Corner) – 1484 Cameron Road, Greerton

Te Puke Library and Service Centre – 130 Jellicoe Street, Te Puke

The Centre – Patuki Manawa – 21 Main Road, Katikati

Omokoroa Library and Service Centre – 28 Western Avenue, Omokoroa

Waihi Beach Library and Service Centre – 106 Beach Road, Waihi Beach

Countdown Te Puke – Boucher Avenue, Te Puke

Countdown Papamoa – 7 Gravatt Road, Papamoa (Papamoa Plaza)

Whakamarama General Store – 1140 State Highway 2

Waihi Beach Dairy – 211 Seaforth Road, Waihi Beach

Challenge Omokoroa – 1362 State Highway 2, Omokoroa

Pukehina Beach Store & Takeaway – 68 Pukehina Parade, Pukehina

Caltex Tauriko – 778 State Highway 29, Tauriko

Countdown Bethlehem – 19 Bethlehem Road, Bethlehem

Countdown Bayfair – 1/19 Girven Road, Mount Maunganui 3116

Countdown Fraser Cove – 229-233 Fraser Street, Fraser Cove Shopping Centre

Countdown Tauranga – 618 Cameron Road, Tauranga South

Countdown Greerton – 1368 Cameron Road, Gate Pa

Countdown Katikati – 123/131 Main Road, Katikati 3320

Council Deputy CEO and Group Manager Infrastructure Services, Gary Allis, says council has attempted to provide an even spread of stockists across the district with more locations to be added ahead of July 1.

To use the tags from July 1 follow these steps:

- Purchase a tag from one of the selected stockists

- Attach the pay-as-you-throw tag to the red rubbish by looping through the handle and bin attachment

- Fasten tag

- Place the red lid rubbish bin on the kerb by 7am alongside other bins ready for collection day.

Gary says on average each household District-wide produces about 640kg of waste per year and these pre-paid tags are an initiative to help reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill.

“By implementing a pre-paid system for red lid rubbish bins, each household is only paying for the rubbish they generate and is not bound by a fixed rate – providing a financial incentive for people to reduce their waste.”

Serviced households’ recycling, food waste and glass bins will be collected on a regular basis, but the frequency of the red lid rubbish bin being collected is up to the resident. Only when a pre-paid pay-as-you-go throw tag is attached to the bin will it be collected.

The rubbish collection component of the new service is charged through the pay-as-you-throw tags – a pick up cost only charged when people choose to put their red lid rubbish bin out.

This cost is not included in the annual targeted rate being added to eligible households’ rates invoices - $149 for a full service and $98 for a partial service – which covers the recycling component of the service.

“The costs of disposing of waste to landfill will continue to increase. To reduce this we all need to think about sending waste from landfill to be recycled or composted,” says Gary.

“Moving from plastic bags to a pay-as-you-throw system is also a better environmental choice for our District.”

For more information on pay-as-you-throw tags and the new kerbside rubbish and recycling service visit www.kerbsidecollection.co.nz