Clean slate for recycle blacklist

Thousands of properties on Wellington City Council’s bad recycling blacklist could get a clean slate while a report is prepared on the issue.

The council has several hotspot areas it doesn’t deliver free recycling bags to, due to repeated misuse of them over the years.

Properties on these streets can contact the council to have bags delivered, but they will have residents’ addresses stuck to the bags so they can be monitored.

In 2016 there were 800 properties on the blacklist, which has now grown to 2000.

Councillor Tamatha Paul campaigned on giving these properties a clean slate.

She successfully passed an amendment yesterday at a Strategy and Policy Committee meeting to resume recycling for the 2000 properties. This is while council officers prepare a report with outcomes, lessons and next steps to address noncompliant recycling.

“We are focused on punishing these people rather than educating them.

“We are going to monitor them over the next year and see what we can learn about waste disposal behaviours.

“We need to learn more about human behaviour and shift attitudes around waste.”

Councillor Teri O’Neill seconded the amendment, noting some residents had been blacklisted as a result of their neighbour’s actions.

Councillor Iona Pannett supported the amendment but noted a lot of education had already been undertaken and people needed to be “grownup” about recycling. “Don’t come on a climate strike tomorrow if you can’t do the basic job of sorting your recycling.”

Councillor Nicola Young said if people were bright enough to go to university, they should be able to sort their recycling. “It’s just part of being a civilised human being.”

Mayor Andy Foster said he was concerned about staff dealing with items that shouldn’t be in recycling bags.