Recycling
What plastics can I put in my wheelie bin?
Plastics numbered 1-2 and 5 are recyclable and include soft drink bottles, sports bottles, water bottles, milk bottles, cleaning products, and 2-litre ice-cream containers – go ahead and pop these into your wheelie bin. Plastics that have the number 3, 4, 6 or 7 on them are “disposable” plastics, we encourage you to avoid using these plastics in the first place if you can.
Plastics numbered 3, 4, 6 and 7 (disposable) include: yoghurt pots, takeaway grocery bags, squeezable bottles, hard containers, medicine bottles, plastic plates/cutlery. Unfortunately, plastics numbered 3, 4, 6 and 7 are no longer able to be recycled because of changes in the global recycling market.
Wairarapa Councils have been stockpiling plastics that can’t be recycled in the hope a market will open up internationally. Luckily, these types of plastics only make up between 3-5 per cent (based on weight) of what Wairarapa residents put in their recycling bins.
If I fill my glass crate more quickly, can I have more?
You can put out a maximum of two crates every fortnight. You must use official crates which are sturdy and safe for lifting by our contractors. If you find that you are exceeding this amount you can always drop any other recycling off at the Transfer Station free of charge.
What happens if my wheelie bin is damaged or stolen?
Damaged bins will be repaired or replaced by Council, except when obviously damaged by users (such as incorrectly towing it behind a vehicle).
If your wheelie bin is missing or stolen, please contact your council as each bin has a unique ID number that can be scanned to locate it if we find it at another location.
If your bin is stolen, your first bin will be replaced with no charge. After the first replacement bin, property owners will be charged $60 per bin for replacements.
If I sell my house can I take my wheelie bin with me?
No. The wheelie bin is allocated to the property and must stay with the property for the new owners or tenants to use.
Does it matter what colour crate I use?
No. You can use either red or green or both for glass recycling.
How far can I fill my recycling crates?
The recycling crates can’t have glass above the rim of the crate. That’s to make sure the bins aren’t too heavy to carry and glass doesn’t fall out and break when we’re emptying the bins.
What do I do with soft plastic?
You can now recycle soft plastics at the following locations:
- The Warehouse, Masterton
- Countdown, Masterton
- MDC Transfer Station, Nursey Road
See the Recycling Kiwi website for a list of what soft plastics can be recycled.
Can I recycle household bateries?
You can now recycle household batteries at the following locations:
- MDC Transfer Station, Nursery Road
- Wairarapa Resource Centre, King Street, Masterton
Place a piece of masking tape over the positive terminal end so that it doesn’t come into contact with metal of other batteries.