Western Bay residents can now find out all they need to know about the new kerbside rubbish and recycling service starting July 1, 2021.

Launched today, Western Bay of Plenty District Council's Kerbside Collective website – www.kerbsidecollective.co.nz – is the one-stop shop for all information on the new wheeled bin service set to be offered to 80 per cent of the District.

Residents can find out what service they'll receive by typing their address into the handy address finder, information on the new collection service and a complete set of FAQs, plus more.

From July 1, the new service will introduce two separate wheelie bins for collecting rubbish and recycling, plus a glass crate and a food scraps bin.

The service is designed to increase the amount of material diverted from landfill by about 60 percent – around 1800 tonnes a year.

In urban areas, Council will collect fortnightly recycling, glass and a weekly collection of food scraps and rubbish. This will consist of a 240L recycling bin, 140L general waste bin, 45L glass bin and lockable 23L food waste container.

In the rural area (where there is an existing kerbside rubbish collection) there will be a fortnightly recycling and glass collection and a weekly collection of rubbish. This will consist of a 240L recycling bin, 140L general waste bin and 45L glass bin.

For all serviced households there will be a $3.95 per pick-up for general rubbish – a cost only charged when people attach a pre-paid tag to their rubbish bin.

Western Bay Mayor Garry Webber says by implementing a pre-paid system, each household is only paying for the rubbish they generate – which he hopes will provide a financial incentive for people to reduce their waste.

Mayor Garry says the new service will provide the District with a rubbish and recycling service that maximises diversion while providing the greatest value to the ratepayer.

The cost will be $149 through an annual targeted rate for urban households (mixed recycling, glass and food scraps collections), and a $98 annual targeted rate for rural households (recycling and glass collections, but no food scraps collection).

The $3.95 pay per pick-up is additional.

'A rates-funded recycling system makes it easier for all households to participate in waste reduction, resulting in less household waste going to landfill, as proven by other New Zealand councils who have successfully adopted this system.

'It takes a complete team effort to improve the way we recycle. Together, we can make real progress in tackling our landfill problem,” says Mayor Garry.

The 20 percent of the District (remote rural) that does not currently have a kerbside collection service will not be charged a targeted rate.

The new service arises from Council consulting with the community in 2019 as an amendment to Council's Long Term Plan 2018-2028 on what a kerbside rubbish and recycling service could look like.

'Council has listened to what the community wanted. This decision has resulted from extensive investigations into various options of how to deliver the service to get the best outcomes,” says Mayor Garry.

Information booklets and collection calendars for each property will be delivered with the bins in May 2021.

To find out more and to see which service you will be receiving with the handy address finder, head to kerbsidecollective.co.nz or Council's library and service centres.