Ministry for Environment supports kerbside glass collection in Tauranga

The Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund contributed $256,500 to fund half of the 52,950 crates tagged with radio frequency identification (RFID) readers needed for collections.

Tauranga City Council and the Ministry for the Environment stepped in at short notice to support kerbside glass collection in Tauranga after private kerbside glass collection services were withdrawn in March 2018.

"The reintroduction of this service and its operation since October 2018 has been a great success. It is on track to help divert from landfill 6,000 tonnes of glass waste generated in Tauranga each year," Associate Minister for the Environment, Eugenie Sage said today.

"Prior to the support being provided fewer people were recycling, as the alternative was visiting a transfer station and having to wait to recycle."

The Ministry for the Environment's Waste Minimisation Fund contributed $256,500 to fund half of the 52,950 crates tagged with radio frequency identification (RFID) readers needed for collections. The service was reintroduced to every residential household in Tauranga in October 2018.

The kerbside collection service has had a much bigger uptake than expected, so the Tauranga City Council is putting on a 6th glass collection truck which is due to start in July. On average 5,500 households are serviced each day. The council estimates almost twice as much glass is being collected compared to the previous collection service. Glass contamination has been reduced by operators being able to sort the glass by color at the roadside.

The recycling crates' new radio frequency identification technology tracks the bins to the individual property helping improve customer service. High-level data captured by the RFID tag identifies generalized recycling trends and patterns that can help in educating the community about how to recycle properly.

"We are committed to supporting solutions to reduce waste. It's fantastic to have been able to fund this recycling initiative which has had a significant impact on reducing our landfill," says Eugenie Sage.

(With Inputs from New Zealand Government Press Release)