Tags to oust rubbish bags out West
Anew tag rubbish system is due to be wheeled out in West Auckland in a few weeks that will put rubbish bags out and bins in. Auckland Council is rolling out a service that will require residents to purchase pre-paid $3.80 tags to attach to existing blue bins to be put out for collection.
Like the long tags attached to luggage when travelling, the rubbish tags are linked through the handle of a bin. They are specially designed so if they are peeled off, they cannot be re-used.
When the rubbish truck arrives, a collector removes it before dumping that property’s waste into the truck.
The new system is tipped to be more economical, as people only need to buy a tag for their bin once it is full. One full bin is the equivalent to two orange bags, which would cost $4.60 compared to the cheaper option of the tag.
Auckland Council’s general manager of waste solutions, Parul Sood, said the change was not only about reducing the amount of rubbish bags used, but also to help prevent instances where a collector has been injured by items inside a bag.
“The other reason is also from our residents — we hear that the bags get attacked sometimes by animals. Then all your rubbish is out on the kerb. So we’re moving away from that.”
The standard pre-paid tags will cost $3.80 for 120L or 140L sized bins. People with larger bins will have to buy $5.50 tags.
Residents who will be affected in this first roll-out are in the HendersonMassey and Waitakere Ranges local board areas, as well as those in the Whau and Upper Harbour region.
The suburbs include Massey East, Massey West, Te Atatu Peninsula, Te Atatu South, West Harbour, Henderson, Lincoln Rd, Swanson, Western Heights, McLaren Park, Glendene, Green Bay, New Lynn, Kelston, Hobsonville, Herald Island and Whenuapai.
Sood said they had been closely monitoring feedback from residents.
Some had expressed concerns including that it would take some households several weeks to fill up their standard 120L or 140L bins, which would cause an odour.
As a result of that feedback, the Council was now looking at providing smaller 80L bins as well.
Residents were also encouraged to be smarter about their waste — making sure to recycle when they can and to compost food waste.
The tag system, which is already being trialled among some 200 households on the North Shore, is expected to roll out fully in the North Shore in March next year.
People will be able to buy the tags from supermarkets, dairies, petrol stations and other council facilities including libraries from September 15. The sale of the orange bags will stop that day also.