Green, or garden waste, is recycled and made into nutritious compost that can be then used on orchards and gardens to grow food.
What will be accepted and charged as garden waste at the transfer station?
Yes (these items are accepted mixed):
- Grass clippings
- Leaves
- Small branches and twigs
- Weeds
- Plants
- Flowers
- Yucca (any size)
No (these items need to be disposed in general rubbish):
- Flax, bamboo, pampas grass
- Palm or cabbage tree leaves
- Noxious plants
- Bags (including plastic, compostable and biodegradable bags/liners)
- Compostable food and drink packaging
- Animal waste
- Tree trunks
The maximum size green waste is accepted is 100mm (4 inches) in diameter and 3m (10 feet) in length.
These below items taken separately as a load have their own specific disposal costs if dropped to the correct location on site:
- Soil/dirt
- Rocks/stones/concrete
- Treated timber
Green waste must be 100% free of contaminants. If you’re bringing green waste to the transfer station, it must be as a separate complete load. This means that combined loads of garden waste and rubbish would be charged as general waste.
Bamboo, cabbage trees or leaves, flax, pampas grass (toi toi or cutty grass), palm trees (banana palm is accepted), noxious plants (such as gorse, ginger lily root, myrtle rust, woolley and deadly nightshade) aren’t accepted as green waste, and will need to be taken to the general waste area and charged at the general waste rate.
Soil/dirt, rocks/stones/concrete and treated wood waste have their own disposal costs if disposed of on their own.
Garden waste fees and charges
Recycling other items
See the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s waste and recycling directory for advice on where to recycle items that aren't recycled at Tauranga's transfer stations.