Stratford ‘winning at’ recycling with less than 3% contamination

Stratford residents have been winning at recycling lately, says Peter McNamara, Stratford District Council (SDC) Waste and Water Education Officer.

The town has achieved an incredibly low average recycling contamination rate of 2.45% in their latest three-monthly independent audit at the region’s Materials Recovery Facility.

“Recycling contamination includes the stuff people think is recyclable but actually isn’t, as well as the sneaky bits of rubbish that find their way into mixed recycling bins,” says Peter.

“During our last reporting year, on average, 19% of what was in residents’ recycling bins was classed as contamination, so being under 3% consistently is an amazing achievement.”

“It’s early days, but congratulations Stratford – we’re acing it so far.”

SDC’s target for kerbside recycling contamination is 12% or less, with a Taranaki regional target of 15% or less.

Peter puts the improvements in Stratford’s performance, partly down to the council’s focus on waste minimisation education, but is adamant that it’s the community putting in the effort that’s the key factor. “We do our own regular audit of people’s recycling bins. Last year, we sent out 249 education packs to households that needed a bit of a hand to get their recycling contamination down. After re-checking their bins, only 9 still had issues.”

“I think we’ve got a community that generally cares about sustainability. Once they know how to properly recycle, they put in the work, and do a great job.” The independent audit covers the three months from December 2023 to the end of February 2024. The results are based on the weight of what’s been collected and reviewed.