Kerbside recycling collection
Collection days and times
Weekly recycling and rubbish kerbside collection services are provided for households and businesses in urban areas across the Taupō District. To see what day kerbside collections run in your area go to our collection day map and enter your address into the search field.
Sort out your kerbside recycling
Did you know that our EnviroWaste recycling contractors are sorting your recycling at the kerbside before it gets loaded onto the truck? It’s not an easy job, especially when our recycling volumes increase during peak times of the year.
Our recycling contractors struggle to deal with overfilled bins, bins contaminated with rubbish, boxes that are not broken down, and items mixed in one recycling bin. All these lead to delays to your recycling collection.
Changes to kerbside recycling
From Thursday 1 February 2024 there are a few little changes being made to the way we recycle, in line with new nationwide guidelines introduced by the Ministry for the Environment:
♻️ No lids or caps in your recycling
♻️ No containers larger than 4 litres in your recycling
♻️ No items under 5cm x 5cm in your recycling
♻️ If you have a cleaned tin can, and the lid is still attached, it can be recycled if you push the lid fully inside the tin. This helps keep our team safe.
♻️ All glass must be in a TDC recycling bin and separate from all other recyclables.
Would your community group like to learn more about recycling? Contact our team on wasteminimisation@taupo.govt.nz to arrange a free 20 minute presentation.
The do's and don'ts of recycling
Please help out our hard-working contractors by separating your recycling into three product streams, using three different bins:
Plastic, tin and aluminium (green bin)
YES please - plastic, tin and aluminium you CAN recycle:
✔️ Kitchen, bathroom and laundry plastics with the number 1, 2 and 5
✔️ Aluminum drink cans
✔️Tin food cans and pet food cans
NO thank you - plastic, tin and aluminium you CANNOT recycle:
❌ Any plastics with the number 3, 4, 6 and 7
❌ Caps and lids: metal and plastic lids cannot be collected, including ice-cream tub lids
❌ Containers larger than 4 litres cannot be recycled
❌ Small items under 5cm x 5cm also must not be put in your recycling
❌ Outdoor number 5 plastics such as plant pots
❌ Soft plastics such as plastic bags/wrappers, frozen food bags, grocery bags, chip packets, bread bags, glad wrap and bubble wrap
❌ Tinfoil, foil trays and foil pans
❌ Aerosol cans such as
deodorant, air freshener, sunscreen and hairspray
❌ Children's plastic toys and bath toys
TIPS for recycling your plastic, tin and aluminium:
♻️ Push tin lids down inside the tin for safety, no sharp edges
♻️ Look for the recycle number or symbol on the bottom or side of plastic containers
♻️ Rinse out and clean your recyclables
♻️ Put bottle caps and lids into your rubbish bag
♻️ Remove any shrink or plastic wrap from recyclable items
♻️ Don't overfill your green bin - recycled items should not be stacked above the top of the bin, especially on windy days!
Paper and cardboard (green bin or cardboard box)
YES please - paper and cardboard you CAN recycle:
✔️ Flattened cardboard boxes with tape removed
✔️ Magazines, newspapers, brochures, catalogues, leaflets, pamphlets
✔️ Empty pizza boxes - remove any pizza scraps
✔️ Cardboard such as toothpaste boxes, soap boxes, tissue boxes and toilet roll tubes
✔️ Envelopes and domestic junk mail
✔️ Telephone directories
✔️ Any other clean paper or cardboard
NO thank you - paper and cardboard you CANNOT recycle:
❌ Tetra Pak cartons
❌ Takeaway coffee cups and fast food drink cups
❌ Used napkins, tissues and paper towels
❌ Dirty paper plates
❌ Mixed paper (or cardboard) products such as waxed paper, carbon paper, milk or juice cartons.
TIPS for recycling your paper and cardboard:
♻️ Put your paper and cardboard together
in a green recycling bin
♻️ Or use a cardboard box if you are short
on bins
♻️ Flatten cardboard cartons and boxes, up to the size of a banana box
♻️ Oversized/excessive cardboard should be
recycled at a transfer station as it takes up too much room in the truck.
Glass (black bin)
All glass must be in a TDC recycling bin and separate from all other recyclables.
YES please - glass you CAN recycle:
✔️ Whole glass jars and bottles
NO thank you - glass you CANNOT recycle:
❌ Broken glass (please wrap in newspaper and put into your rubbish)
❌ Window glass
❌ Drinking glasses
❌ Glass cookware or ceramics
❌ Vases
❌Light bulbs
TIPS for recycling your glass:
♻️ Empty and rinse clean your glass jars and bottles
♻️ Remove bottle lids and caps and place them in the rubbish
♻️ Broken glass must be wrapped in newspaper/cardboard and placed in your rubbish
♻️ Do not put glass out in cardboard boxes as they can collapse
Additional information and tips
Key things to remember on your collection day
- Place your recycling bins and rubbish bags kerbside by 7.30am on your collection day
- Leave bags and bins as close as you can to the kerbside and clear of the footpath
- Wrap any broken glass or sharp objects thoroughly before putting them in your rubbish bag (broken glass cannot be recycled)
- Do not put glass out in cardboard boxes as they can collapse
- On windy days, put bigger and heavier items on top of lighter items inside your green bin to stop things blowing away. You can also place your rubbish bag on top of your green bin to weigh down the recycled items.
- Don't overfill your green bin - recycled items should not be stacked above the top of the bin, especially on windy days!
- If recyclable items are placed out for removal and do not, for any reason, comply with what is allowed, our contractor will leave behind a flyer stating why it has not been collected.
How recycling is done in the Taupō District
Check out this video to learn more about what happens to your recycling after it's collected.
Green and black recycling bins
Green bins and black bins for recycling are available from council offices.
- Green bins should be used for plastics, cans, paper and cardboard (where possible we recommend separating out your paper and cardboard into a separate bin or box - see info above for details)
- Black bins should be used for glass only
Each household is entitled to one green recycling bin and one black recycling bin. There is no charge to replace a lost or stolen recycling bin. Additional bins and bins for businesses can be purchased for $10 each.
Please label your bins with your street address. If you move, please leave your bins at your old address. There should be bins at your new address.
Printable recycling guide
Download and print our recycling guide and keep it in a handy place to refer to!
Or pop into any of our customer service centres in Taupō, Tūrangi or Mangakino and pick up a magnetic version you can pop onto your fridge!
