From 1 February 2024, there are a few changes for Christchurch and Banks Peninsula residents to keep in mind when sorting their recycling, organics and rubbish.
New national standards for kerbside bin collections are in place, which means most Kiwis can now sort their recycling, organics and rubbish in the same way.
To help you prepare, we’ve updated our website with the new guidelines.
We accept all food waste and most garden waste.
Liquids can't go in any bin. Cooking oil can be dropped off at one of our EcoDrop Recycling Centres free of charge.
We can't accept cuttings from flax, cabbage trees, bamboo or soil. Put these in the red bin or dispose of them at an EcoDrop for a fee.
Around 55,000 tonnes of kerbside organic material is processed per year at the Organics Processing Plant in Bromley. This food and garden waste is diverted from landfill, which saves everyone money.
Putting the right items in the green bin helps to produce organic compost. The compost is used on farms around Canterbury and beyond.
You can watch our video(external link) to learn more about what happens to your green bin material once it leaves your gate.
There are a lot of products out there labelled as biodegradable and/or compostable. These labels can be super-confusing as they all mean different things. We currently have no national standards for either biodegradability or composability in New Zealand. Without any clear standards, we are not able to accept any of these products in the kerbside green bin.
We produce organic certified compost from the contents of your green bin. This is then used by organic farms to produce food, helping to create a more circular economy. A lot of products that are currently labelled as biodegradable or compostable are not approved as organic so can’t go through our composting plant.