Kerbside collection

Using the food scraps bin is a simple and effective way to minimise waste at home. It’s important we try to divert as much food and green waste as possible from landfill, where it turns into methane, a toxic greenhouse gas. The world’s food waste currently makes up 6.7% of all carbon emissions!

You can add the following items to your kerbside bin:

• Fruit and vegetables (raw and cooked)
• Bread, dairy and cooked food
• Meat and fish bones
• Egg shells
• Seafood shells
• Indoor cut flowers

Hamilton currently diverts between 340,000–400,000kg of food waste each month from the kerbside food scraps bins.

How can I reduce smells in the summer?

We know there can be some challenges to using the food scraps bin, especially in summer. Some ways you can keep the smells in and the bugs out include:

• freezing animal products until rubbish day
• set a phone alarm as a reminder to take it out of the freezer for collection – or download the Antenno app which sends reminders of kerbside collection days!
• keeping the bin in a shady place or the garage
• keeping the handle in the upright locked position
• washing the bin at least once a month with warm, soapy water
• lining the bin with brown paper or newspaper to keep it clean

Examples of what you can recycle

• Glass bottles of any color

• Food and beverage jars/bottles

Examples of what you can't recycle

• Broken glass of any kind - please wrap and place in red bin.

• Glass cookware or bakeware like a pie dish or measuring cup – if it’s still in usable condition, please donate it. Otherwise, please put it in the red bin

• Window glass – please take this to Lincoln St Resource Recovery Centre for recycling.

Examples of what you can recycle

• Soft drink, juice, water, and milk bottles (usually made from plastics numbered 1).

• Bathroom and laundry product bottles (usually made from plastics numbered 2).

• Large yoghurt and ice cream tubs, margarine/butter tubs (usually made from plastics numbered 5).

• Some pharmaceutical, cosmetics, sauce, and refillable bottles (usually made from plastics numbered 5).

• Fruit punnets and meat trays (usually made from plastics numbered 1).

• Clean drink cans and food tins.

• Paper and cardboard including pizza boxes (food scraps removed).

Examples of what you can't recycle

• Aerosols, pots, pans, and foil (and items you normally find in a garage or garden that contain chemicals).

• Tissues and paper towels (these usually have food scraps or cleaning chemical residue).

• Takeaway coffee cups, drink cartons, shiny gift wrap (these items can include other materials like plastic or metal).

• Soft plastics (any plastics that can be scrunched into a ball) - check out the Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme for a store locator to recycle these plastics

• Compostable packaging and containers

• Nappies and sanitary products

• Fabric and clothing

Your red bin is your last resort – anything that can’t go in the yellow bin, food scraps bin or blue/green grate goes in the red bin (so long as it’s not a prohibited item).

Prohibited items include:

• Medical waste (except Rapid Antigen Tests).

• Chemicals and hazardous items.

• Lithium batteries (includes vapes) 

• Hot ashes or liquids  

We encourage you to use the mixed recycling wheelie bin, glass recycling crate, and food scraps bin which should limit the amount of rubbish going into your red bin, and therefore, to landfill. 

 If you have excess rubbish you can take this to the Lincoln Street Resource Recovery Centre.

As of 1 February 2024, the Ministry for the Environment requires all Councils across New Zealand to only collect plastics numbered 1, 2, and 5 in kerbside collections.

This is so no matter where you live in New Zealand, the same service is available everywhere. In Hamilton, plastics 1, 2 and 5 are collected in the yellow bin (along with paper, cardboard, clean drink cans and food tins). Glass is still collected separately in your green/blue crate.

To check the plastic number, check the number at the bottom of the item. If there's no number or you can't read it, put it in the rubbish bin.

Lids (unless physically attached) cannot be recycled and go in the rubbish bin - they're difficult to sort being small and light. Dirty containers need to be rinsed before they're recycled.

To find out more about the changes, click here.