Looking inside your crate

The City Council is keen to highlight to residents that plastic containers suitable for recycling, such as milk bottles, can be squashed before being put out in recycling crates. It also wishes to remind people to remove lids and rinse all recyclable containers before placing them in their crates.

“Squashing plastic containers does not damage them for recycling purposes and actually helps to create more space in the crate,” says City Council solid waste manager Simon Collin.

The reminders come following the large increase in recyclables being delivered to the Recovered Materials Foundation, partly as a result of the reduction in this year’s allocation of ratepayer funded City Council rubbish bags from 52 to 26.

“It seems the public are rising to the challenge of waste minimisation, and embracing the kerbside recycling collection more so than previously,” says Mr Collin.

The reduction of the annual allocation of rubbish bags is part of the Council’s effort to reduce waste going to landfill as well as shift attitudes for people to take more responsibility for their own waste.

The Council has also recently carried out a survey to highlight potential issues with its kerbside rubbish collection. As part of that process, it took the opportunity to look at what people are putting out in their crates to see where future educational programmes could best be focused.

“We want to ensure that residents have as much information as possible so they can make the most of their kerbside collection. We also want to reduce the potential of items being blown out of crates, or spilling over and causing litter on the streets,” says Mr Collin. In general, he says, people are doing a really great job.

“We had a number of people coming up and chatting to us while the survey was being conducted. They were interested to know if they are getting it right.”

Information about the items that can be placed in recycling crates, and how they should be presented at the kerb, is contained in the “Help Us Recycle” posters sent out with the City Council rubbish bag coupons in May.

• Christchurch residents are entitled to two free recycling crates per household. These can be collected from the Civic Offices in Tuam Street or your local Council service centre.
• Most residents should now have received a coupon for their yearly allocation of Council rubbish bags – one pack of 26 bags per household. These coupons can be used at most supermarkets until 13 June and at any Council service centre until 3 April 2005. Last month, the Council was alerted to the fact that about one per cent of packs only contain 25 bags. If people find a shortfall in their pack they should phone 0800 22 22 94.
• Only official Council black rubbish bags are collected at the kerbside. The collection and disposal costs are included in the price of the Council bags.

Six years of recycling in Christchurch Kerbside recycling began in Christchurch in 1998. Mr Collin says the concept caught on very quickly with around 70 per cent of residents participating in the first year.

The graph below shows the increase in the amount of kerbside recycling put out for collection over the last six years.

• For more information about how you can reduce your waste, see www.ccc.govt.nz/waste. To find out more about what happens to the items you put out for recycling see www.rmf.org.nz
• CTV is running a series of programmes called “Recycling Works” in June about what happens to the materials you put out in your green recycling crate. See your newspaper for dates and times, or see www.ctv.co.nz