From this Friday (November 13) general rubbish bins will replace most mixed recycling bins in public places and the only public recycling bins will be for glass bottles and aluminium cans.

A recent Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) audit of the recyclables collected from the public bins analysed what was deposited and found most of the recyclable content in mixed recycling bins was too contaminated for recycling and belonged instead in the rubbish.

Contaminated material left in recyclable bins cannot be processed at the council’s materials recovery facility near Frankton.

“Paper, cardboard and plastics were heavily contaminated by food and liquid waste meaning they couldn’t be recycled,” QLDC property and infrastructure general manager Peter Hansby said. 

The audit also revealed good quality, clean material was deposited in the public glass-only bins but only the high volumes of aluminium drink cans were clean enough in the mixed bins to be recycled.   

The public bin audit found paper, cardboard and plastics were heavily contaminated by food and liquid waste, meaning they couldn’t be recycled. PHOTO: Kath Buttar

As a result, all existing two-way bins, comprising one mixed recycling bin and one rubbish bin will change to rubbish-only; and all existing four-way bins, comprising one mixed recycling bin, one glass-only bin and two rubbish bins will change to one glass-only, one aluminium-cans-only and two rubbish bins.

“The audit showed us that single stream collection of glass recycling in our public bins is working well,” Peter said. 

“The change to a single stream collection for aluminium cans will have a positive recycling outcome because we know the cans are clean enough to be recycled, so long as they're not contaminated by other dirty or non-recyclable materials in the bin.

Aluminium cans are not normally contaminated by food or liquid, and can be recycled many times without loss of quality. PHOTO: Kath Buttar

“These changes will mean we’re able to provide more certainty that the materials put into the public recycling bins will be recycled,” Peter said. 

Wanaka Wastebusters communications coordinator Ruth Blunt said the changes are “a positive step for public space recycling in our district” and Wastebusters supports the council's initiative and the roll out of four-way bins with single stream recycling for aluminium cans and glass bottles.

“Cans and glass are easy to identify for visitors and residents alike,” she said. 

Ruth said there were four-way bins at the Wanaka Recreation Centre and in the CBD on the foreshore, and more four-way bins have been ordered and will be installed in Wanaka next month. Council also confirmed four-way bins will be introduced to Lake Hāwea at the same time.

And for those locals who want to go the extra mile with their recycling they could always take home plastics, like water bottles, and either reuse them, or wash them and put in their home recycle bins.

The new signage on the bins will roll out across the district over the next two weeks.