Council stays with kerbside rubbish bag collection service

Following extensive community consultation, Council has resolved to continue with the existing kerbside rubbish bag collection service.

Wheelie bins and a food waste collection have not been adopted. Out of nearly 1150 submissions to the draft Long-term Plan on this topic, 65 percent opposed a move to rates-funded wheelie bins.

Councillors noted that the submissions from ratepayers and community members contained a huge amount of insightful feedback. This will help inform future work to eventually find a more suitable waste collection option. A move to bins would have also impacted rates; and councillors were mindful of the strain on household budgets.

Bags or bins were a hot topic at council’s community engagement events during June and highlighted that one size does not fit all. Taupō District is unique with different urban and rural environments, and a mix of residents and holiday-home owners.

A food scraps collection will not be included with the bag service at this stage. While central government has signalled that it wants councils to move to food scraps collection, it has not yet made it mandatory. Council will add food scraps to its kerbside collection if and when this happens.

We have many tips and tricks to reduce your waste, from free Repair Café sessions to extend the life of your goods, free home composting workshops throughout the year, vouchers for discounted compost bins, a free recycling guide, and educational visits with local schools.

The decision to continue with the current rubbish bag service will be confirmed when Council adopts the Long-term Plan in late September.

To find out more visit taupo.govt.nz/recycling.