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What goes into my bins?

Find out what goes into your rubbish, recycling, food scraps and glass bin.

Service update

From the 1 February, Tauranga residents will no longer be able to put any lids, caps or aerosol cans in your yellow-lidded recycling bins.

This is because the government has introduced standardised recycling for all kerbside collections across the country – to help make recycling consistent, regardless of where you are in New Zealand and to reduce unnecessary waste going to landfill.

Food scraps bin

Weekly collection. For fruit, vegetables, cooked food, meat, fish, coffee grounds, etc.

Glass bin

Fortnightly with the yellow recycling bin and food scraps bin. For glass bottles and jars.

Recycling bin

Fortnightly collection alternating with rubbish. For plastics, tins, cans, paper, and cardboard.

Rubbish bin

Fortnightly collection alternating with recycling. For items that cannot be reused, recycled, or donated.

Garden bin

Opt-in to a 4-weekly or fortnightly garden waste collection. Add a garden waste bin.

Kerbside collection service

As part of our kerbside collection service, Tauranga households have been provided with bins for food scraps, glass, recycling and rubbish. Those who have opted into garden waste collections will also receive a garden waste bin. Each household will be given a collection day and week (either ‘Week 1’ or ‘Week 2’) which can be found on the side of your bins.

Please note that each bin has a weight limit, if your bin is too heavy we may not be able to collect your bin. Rubbish, recycling and garden waste bins have a weight limit of 40kgs, food scraps bins have a weight limit of 14kgs and the glass bin is 10kgs.

Kerbside collections information brochure (2.3mb pdf)
Comprehensive bin guide (1.1mb pdf)
Collection calendar week 1 and 2 (385kb pdf)
Garden waste brochure (348kb pdf)
Garden waste calendar week 1 and 2 (261kb pdf)
Quick guide - English (1mb pdf)

Translated kerbside brochures

Quick guide - Mandarin (1.2mb pdf) Quick guide - Punjabi (962kb pdf)
Quick guide - Samoan (1.1mb pdf) Quick guide - Spanish (1.1mb pdf)
Quick guide - Te Reo (1.1mb pdf) Quick guide - Tongan (1.2mb pdf)

Food scraps (your small green bin)

Max weight: 14 kgs

Yes	No
Fruit and vegetables	Bags or bin liners (including plastic, compostable and biodegradable bags/liners)
Bread and dairy	Cling film
Cooked food and leftovers	Fruit stickers
Egg and seafood shells	Tea bags
Coffee grounds	Liquids
Indoor cut flowers	Animal waste
Meat, fish and bones	Compostable packaging
Plain brown paper bag (to line bin only)	Newspapers

Recycling (your yellow lidded wheelie bin)

Max weight: 40 kgs

Yes	No
Paper and cardboard (no paper towels, tissues, or shredded paper)	Plastic bottles and containers numbered three, four, six and seven
Plastic bottles, trays and containers numbered one, two and five (may be written as 1 or 01, 2 or 02, and 5 or 05)	Soft plastics e.g. plastic bags
Tins and cans (metal and aluminium)	Compostable items
	Coffee takeaway cups/lids
	Milk and juice cartons e.g. UHT milk cartons, almond milk cartons
	Clothing
	Toys
	Polystyrene
	Lids
	Shredded paper

Glass bottle and jars (your blue crate)

Max weight: 10 kgs

Yes	No
Glass bottles	Broken glass
Glass jars	Light bulbs or fluorescent tubes
	Medicine or vape ware
	Perfume bottles
	Cookware or drinking glasses
	Windows or mirrors
	Lids

Rubbish (your red lidded wheelie bin)

For anything that can’t be reused, recycled or composted

Max weight: 40 kgs

Yes
Broken bottles/glass
Nappies
Wet wipes
Soft plastics e.g. plastic bags and cling film
Lids
Polystyrene

Garden Waste, opt-in only (your green lidded wheelie bin)

Max weight: 40 kgs

Yes	No (put me in the rubbish bin)	No (take me to the transfer station)
Grass clippings (mix me with other garden waste to ensure the load is light enough for collection)	Bags or bin liners (including plastic, compostable and biodegradable bags/liners)	Soil
Leaves	Flax, bamboo, pampas	Rocks
Plants	Palm or cabbage tree leaves	Tree trunks
Small branches and twigs	Compostable packaging
Weeds	Animal waste
Flowers