WHAT’S ENDING UP AT THE DUMP
Tinsel and Christmas-themed wrapping paper is woven into the usual leavings at the dump.
The soggy debris of feasts, booze-filled parties and presents see rubbish and recycling double over the silly season.
Old bikes, fishing rods and barbecues are among the items tossed out to make room for newer models, gifted for Christmas.
The waste generated is particularly staggering in the lead-up to Christmas Day, Ryan Russell says.
He’s the managing director at Essential Recycling Ltd, which rescues reusable goods from the waste stream, cleans them and sells them at a store at the Hamilton Refuse Transfer Station, which is owned by the Hamilton City Council and leased by Waste Management.
‘‘It’s the festive season so people are doing more grocery shopping, they’re having more functions,’’ Russell said. ‘‘There’s obviously the whole present side of it which increases the paper and cardboard boxes.
‘‘Everything is doubled, if not tripled. People fill a whole rubbish bag up with wrapping paper and that gets disposed of.
‘‘There’s the odd accidental Christmas present throwaway. It looks brand new so you assume it’s accidentally been thrown away.’’
Black bags are crammed with food waste, paper and the odd bauble or piece of tinsel. In the lead-up to Christmas, more rubbish and recycling trucks are on the roads to accommodate for the waste left over from functions, Christmas sales and construction jobs that companies try to get done before Christmas, Russell said. Nearby the rubbish pit, two and a half skips brim with empty fizzy drink and beer cans.
‘‘[Usually] we might do one of these in a week, at this time of year we do one every two days. It just dramatically increases,’’ Russell said. And it’s not just Hamilton.
On average, Kiwis throw away 30 per cent more rubbish over the summer holiday than usual, according to Recycle.co.nz. Waste doubles the week after Christmas and an extra 50,000 tonnes is likely to be produced during the Christmas week.
Between December and January last year, kerbside collection – including food waste – in Thames-Coromandel District Council jumped by more than 260 tonnes.
Two days after Christmas, before 8am, cars queue at the Hamilton dump, towing trailers loaded with unwanted junk. But there’s plenty of treasure to be found nestled in that trash at this time of year, Russell said.
In fact, there’s not enough room in the Essential Recycling Ltd shop to fit it all in.
Before the shop opens at 8.30am, a cluster of shoppers clutch coffees and wait . They all agree that it’s the busiest store in Hamilton. A Christmas is an especially good time to score the stuff people no longer want.
Wayne Uncles – waiting at the gate – said he spotted a new-looking barbecue up for grabs on the side of the road in Puketaha.
When the gate opens the group rushes in to rifle through boxes and shelves, in search of items newly plucked from the pit. Post Christmas sees a lot of people chucking stuff out to make room for new Christmas presents, Russell said.