Auckland's first para kai wheelie bin collection is set to start in Papakura next week.
Up to half an average household's bin is made up of food scraps so the Auckland Council hopes the service will dramatically reduce how much gets sent to landfill and help work towards their goal of having zero waste going to landfill by 2040.
To start the initiative the council will add a smaller food waste bin to the current two recycling and rubbish wheelie bins at each household.
A council spokesperson says the food scraps will be taken to a large-scale facility where it will be processed into compost.
“For Māori, there is a depth of knowledge of Papatūānuku and her tamariki Haumiatiketike and Rongomatane. Composting is a cyclical and holistic approach to addressing current-day waste issues,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“The new service makes it easy for people to return to this principle and put their para kai back into the life cycle of the earth.”
A para kai bin will be added to the current two recycling and rubbish wheelie bins.
Chair of the Environment & Community Committee Councillor Penny Hulse says the initiative follows a pay-as-you-throw model.
“Already in parts of the region, people pay for rubbish bags, so in that sense, there is little change for those households," she says.
Manurewa-Papakura Ward Councillor Daniel Newman says the decision is a great step up for Papakura.
“Papakura has been waiting a long time to move from orange rubbish bags to a wheelie bin service, and our community is a great place to begin this region-wide rollout. This is about us being better environmental stewards and helping families to minimise their waste even more.”
The council says the service will expand to all urban areas of the Auckland region by 2020.
Key points
The three-bin rollout will include:
- A recycling bin for household plastic containers, paper, cardboard, cans, tins and glass containers, which is already used around the region. This is paid for by rates.
- A food waste bin, for all household food waste, that is also covered by rates.
- A pay-as-you-throw rubbish bin. A choice of bin sizes and payment methods will be available.
