When Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) introduced a new kerbside rubbish and recycling service in July this year, a big question loomed: what to do for Queenstown residents who didn’t want their old, now redundant, bins?

The answer: the organisation of a Bin Take-Back, a one–off free kerbside collection of unwanted wheelie bins.

While a large portion of the community found creative uses for the old bins, 1800- 2000 were collected by council’s contractor, Waste Management as part of the optional take-back. Of these bins collected, 550 were sent to Christchurch to be recycled, some were collected by members of the public for their own use, and another 1000 were donated to the Lions Club of Clyde and Districts.

Lions Club of Clyde and Districts president Anne Dougherty said the wheelie bins had turned out to be a major, and welcome, project.

The bins were first thoroughly cleaned by the Lions Club. Then, with a dash of creativity and plenty of enterprising spirit, they found a wide range of new uses: they’re now garden tool carts, automatic duck feeders, emergency kits, compost bins and lockable chemical storage units. All are for sale.

“Repurposing these bins is now our major project for the next few years,” she said.

“All funds raised will be given back to the community. This has been a really inventive way to reuse these bins and give them a new lease on life.”

“This project will help people throughout the community on not only a practical level, but also financially, through the return of the proceeds.”

Other creative repurposing ideas that come from our community included using old bins or crates to create raised garden beds, store firewood or pinecones for winter, plant spuds, store large quantities of pet food or for onsite sorting of building waste. We even heard of one being turned into an outdoor chair.

Any member of the public who still has an old bin or crate, and can’t find a creative way to repurpose it, can still drop them off at Wastebusters in Wānaka for reuse, or the Frankton Transfer Station in Queenstown for recycling.

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