Whakatāne district residents are being urged to recycle correctly following high levels of contamination found in recycling bins across the district.

Over the past year, more than 20 percent of the material picked up in the kerbside recycling collection has been either incorrect or too dirty to be recycled. 

The council has launched an educational campaign, ‘Recycling is sorted by hand’, encouraging people to think more carefully about what happens to their recycling once the truck empties their bin. 

Waste and resource recovery manager Lisa Eve said many people assumed recycling was sorted by a machine.  

“A key focus of this campaign is reminding people that recycling is not an automated process.

“After our trucks collect the recycling, it’s transported to the materials recovery facility in Tauranga, where it’s sorted by hand by real people. 

“The biggest reason to recycle correctly is to keep valuable materials out of landfill, so they can be made into new products, helping protect our environment for future generations.

“But we also want people to think about the people behind the process. Every incorrect or dirty item placed in a recycling bin is something another person has to handle,” said Eve. 

The council acknowledges that some residents may not be fully aware of what can and cannot be recycled, and that some contamination is the result of confusion. However, it also sees cases where recycling bins are clearly being used to dispose of general rubbish and other unsuitable items. 

“We’ve found everything from a deer carcass, a toilet, clothing, food waste and nappies.

“These aren’t honest mistakes, these are items that should never have been placed in a recycling bin.”

Putting the wrong items in recycling bins doesn’t just create additional work for those sorting it, it can also contaminate otherwise recyclable materials, meaning items that could have been made into new products may instead be sent to landfill, resulting in costly disposal fees. 

Eve said every resident had a role to play in reducing contamination. 

“Recycling correctly is one of the easiest ways we can all make a positive difference.

“Taking a few extra moments to empty and rinse containers and only putting accepted items in your recycling bin helps keep the recycling stream clean and safer for the people sorting it.” 

“If you’re ever unsure whether something can be recycled, check our recycling guide or get in touch with our customer services team, and if in doubt, keep it out.” 

Eve said the council hoped the campaign will encourage people to pause and think before putting something in their recycling bin. 

“We want people to remember there’s a person at the other end of the process and we want to see a decline in recycling contamination.” 

Residents can find the council’s recycling guide on its website, where they can check what can and can’t go in their recycling bin before putting it out for collection.