Frequently asked questions

Where can I get a copy of the collection calendar?

You can download and print a copy of either week one or week two's calendar below, or contact our Customer Call Centre on (03) 941 8999 if you would like a copy sent to you.

Can I use liners/bags in any of my wheelie bins?

What if I want to change the size of my bins?

There are two options available to residents.  A standard set of bins which includes:

• 240 litre recycling bin
• 140 litre rubbish bin
• 80 litre organics bin

A downsized service which includes 3 x 80 litre bins. Residents may choose to change from one option to the other although there are costs associated with this.

Residents may also enhance the capacity of the service they receive on their recycling and organics by payment of an annual fee. The enhanced options are:

• an additional 240 litre recycling bin
• provision of a 240 litre organics bin in place of the 80 litre organics bin.

Can I swap between a standard and downsized set of wheelie bins?

Through the roll out of the kerbside collection wheelie bins, from November 2008, properties will either have requested a standard service (240 litre recycling, 140 litre rubbish, 80 litre organics) or a downsized service (80 litre recycling, 80 litre rubbish, 80 litre organics).

If you are finding it difficult to cope with the size of the standard set of wheelie bins provided, you can opt for a downsized service. Please note that all three bins will be downsized to the 80 litre bin size. The frequency of collection of the smaller bins will remain the same and the property's rates will not be adjusted if a downsized service is requested.

How can I swap between standard bins and downsized bins?

Only the property owner or manager can request a bin swap for a property.

For Housing NZ or Christchurch City Council Housing tenants, requests for bin changes would need to come from the housing officer or manager.

The costs above reflect the full cost of administering and delivering the service.

How much does it cost to swap between a standard and a downsized set of wheelie bins?

The costs (set until 30 June 2012) are:

Swapping 1 bin - $96.60 (incl GST) (yellow recycling)
Swapping 2 bins - $108.70 (incl GST) (red rubbish and yellow recycling)

Can I have larger or more wheelie bins than the standard service?

Recycling and Organics
Yes. Options are as follows:

The 80-litre organics bin can be replaced with a 240 litre organics bin (annual fee of $174), and/or an additional 240-litre recycling bin can be requested (annual fee of $34).

• Fees are fixed until 2012.
• The fees are paid directly to the contractor, and residents will be invoiced for the extra/upsized bin prior to it being delivered.
• Once the invoice is paid bin(s) should be delivered within 10 collection days.
• The billing year will begin when the extra/upsized bin is delivered to the property.
• If you wish to register for an enhanced service, please phone the Council’s call centre.

One month prior to the anniversary date of the enhanced service the resident will receive notification from the contractor whereby the resident can decide whether or not to renew their agreement. If not, the contractor will collect the enhanced bin and replace it with a standard bin (at no cost) 2 weeks after the enhanced service agreement finished.

If you are moving house and have an enhanced service please phone our Customer Call Centre on (03) 941 8999 . You should take the enhanced service bin(s) with you to your new property, however you need to advise Council of your new property address and the number on the side of the bin.

Rubbish
No. If your property requires further rubbish removal than the standard service (140 litre rubbish bin), you would need to arrange for a commercial contractor to do this. Search for collectors under Waste Disposal in the Yellow Pages.

How are granny flats serviced under the kerbside collection?

How are private lanes and gated communities serviced under the kerbside collection?

I am blind or visually impared, how can I tell which bin to use for my rubbish, recycling and organics?

Each of the wheelie bins are marked with a raised tactile symbol which people can feel to distinguish between the bins. The following symbols are on the front of the bin lids:

• a raised triangle is for the recycling wheelie bin
• a raised square is for the rubbish wheelie bin
• a raised circle is for the organics wheelie bin.

Can I decorate my wheelie bin?

The collection contractor, Transpacific Industries Group, own the wheelie bins and Council request that residents do not draw on or decorate their wheelie bins in any way. If your wheelie bin has been drawn on, it is the householder's responsibility to remove the markings from the bin.

Who provides bin cleaning services?

There are a number of companies that offer a bin cleaning service who you can find advertised in the Yellow Pages.

Where can I get a towing device for my wheelie bins?

What happens to my bin if I move house?

The bin stays with the house it's registered to. So your old bins will stay with your old house, and there should be existing bins at your new house.

Can I take my bin with me if I move house?

What happens if I put a bin not allocated to the property out for collection

The wheelie bin’s serial number and label corresponds with the property address the bin was originally allocated to. The collector will check with the wheelie bin database to confirm if a wheelie bin is outside the wrong property. If a bin does not belong to, or is not in the immediate vicinity to the property it was allocated to, the kerbside collection contractor:

• will sticker the bin advising the resident to contact Council with the reason for its use at an address other than the one it was allocated to
• if no action is taken by the user prior to the bin’s next collection the collector may not uplift the contents of the bin or may remove the bin and return it to stock.

What if there are spare bins on my property?

What wheelie bin allocation is my property entitled to?

Wheelie bins are expensive assets allocated to ratepayers. Most ratepayers are entitled to a per-property allocation of:

• 1 x 240 litre recycling wheelie bin
• 1 x 140 litre rubbish wheelie bin, and
• 1 x 80 litre organics bin

What if I do not have a complete allocation of bins at my property?

Please phone the Council on (03) 941 8999 .

What if the bins at my new house are smaller or bigger than the bins at my old house, and I want to change their size?

What if I have multiple properties? Can I move bins between them?

What if I refused a bin/the bins initially and now I want them?

What if there are no bins at the house I have moved into?

What if I have built, or moved into, a brand new house and there aren't any wheelie bins?

How do I dispose of treated wood?

Machined wood can be treated with a range of preservatives to prolong its life as it is used for outdoor purposes, but it is difficult to identify whether the wood has or has not been treated to prolong its life from fungicides, pesticides, retard fire or to protect it from ultra violet light.

Please place all building material scraps, processed (either treated or machined) wood, off-cuts and residues such as sawdust and cold ash into your red rubbish bin, not your green organics or yellow recycling bins.

How do I dispose of my camping or BBQ gas cylinders?

Please do not put gas cylinders in your red, yellow or green kerbside wheelie bins. Gas cylinders can be dangerous and may even explode! Please take your gas cylinders to an ecodepot (which you may know as a refuse station or dump), and they will take it for free.

What if I, or a previous owner, declined a bin or bins during the rollout phase of the kerbside collection before July 2009?

If you have previously indicated that you did not want a bin during the roll-out of the wheelie bins and your situation has changed it is still possible to get the bin service.

There will be an administration and delivery cost for the delivery of the bin(s). These charges were publicly consulted on through the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) and came into effect on 1 July 2009.

The charges (set until 30 June 2012) are:

1 bin - $96.60 (incl GST)
2 bins - $108.70 (incl GST)
3 bins - $120.80 (incl GST)

What can I do if I think my property's wheelie bin(s) have been stolen or are missing?

The bin may have been taken in by a neighbour by mistake or the previous owners may have taken the bin(s) with them - please check the address labels on the bins either side of your property on collection day or contact previous owner or your landlord/property manager.

Remember when purchasing a new property, make sure that a full set of bins in the size you require are left at the property. Issuing replacement bins or swapping bin sizes may incur a charge.

If you are unable to locate your missing bin(s), or initially you didn't want bins but now you do, please phone the Council's Customer Centre.

To receive wheelie bins, your property must pay a Uniform Annual General Charge and a full Waste Minimisation Charge ($141.19) set until June 2010) - you can check this on your rates demand. It must also be on a kerbside collection route.

If residents leave their bin out after 11 pm on their collection day and their bin is stolen there is a replacement charge.

This charge is:
$96.60 for an 80 litre bin
$108.70 for a 140 litre bin
$120.80 for a 240 litre bin

What to do if your organics wheelie bin freezes

In very cold weather, some green organic bins freeze. The organic waste can freeze to the inside of the bin, and when the collection truck tips the bin into the truck, the material won't fall out.

If this happens to you this year, we're sorry that we can't come back and empty your bin. Make sure your bin gets emptied by following these easy tips:

• Line the bottom and sides of your green organic bin with newspaper or pieces of cardboard to prevent ice sticking your organic waste to the bin.

If I have to demolish a property, is there anything I need to do regarding my wheelie bins?

The kerbside collection wheelie bins belong to the property they were allocated to. Each bin has an address label on the side with the property's address and a serial number linking the bin to the property.

Contact the Council's Call Centre (03) 941 8999 or 0800 800 169 and advise when the dwelling on the property will be demolished and when the wheelie bins need to be removed.

The bins will be removed by the Council's kerbside collection contractor and returned once the property has been rebuilt. There is no cost for this service.