Media Release
Release date: Saturday 25 August 2012
Fitzherbert Street, Gisborne, New Zealand. www.gdc.govt.nz
Delivery of recycling bins to rural areas
Over the next 2 weeks over 2000 recycling bins are being delivered to householders in rural areas.
Bins will be delivered to all dwellings within 15 kilometres of a rural transfer station.
This is part of the new system of waste management being introduced at rural transfer stations throughout the district
in an effort to improve waste management and minimise waste to landfill.
More things can be recycled now and the bins will have a sticker on them to help people sort this out. Also being
delivered with the bins is a flyer about the changes, a fridge magnet as a recycling reminder and a timetable for the
composting workshops.
Kitchen waste can be up to a half of what people put in their rubbish bins. By composting all the peelings, along with
garden waste, it should be easier to keep waste out of the landfill.
The user pays system in the city has been successful. Over the past decade, less rubbish has been going to landfill and
recycling has increased. Since charging for waste began in Gisborne, waste going to landfill has dropped from 70,000
tonnes per annum to 13,549 tonnes in 2011. Most households manage with their allocation of one sticker a week.
“People want their sticker allowance to last and so try to use only one sticker a week. The rest of their rubbish can be
recycled, composted, fed to animals or donated to others. A bit of thought needs to be put into ‘do I really need
another plastic bag?’’ said Anne Lister, Council’s Waste Minimisation Coordinator.
The delivery or recycling bins is the beginning of a series of things that will be happening prior to the change over
date on 1 October. Stickers will be delivered in September to all dwellings within 15 kilometres of a rural transfer
station.
All the information on the changes and the workshops is on the Council webpage http://www.gdc.govt.nz/changes-to-rural-transfer-stations/
ENDS