FAQs Proposed Kerbside Rubbish and Recycling Collection

You can view the maps that are included in the Statement of Proposal that is available on Council’s website. These maps show the areas included in the proposed expanded kerbside collection service.

An additional 2500 homes across Marlborough will benefit from the proposed expansion including those in:

• Grovetown
• Havelock
• Rarangi
• Rai Valley
• Renwick
• Seddon
• Spring Creek
• Tuamarina
• Wairau Valley
• Ward

Each household will receive:

• One wheelie bin (140 litres) for rubbish
• One wheelie bin (140 litres) for recycling (excluding glass)

Those households who are part of the current kerbside recycling scheme will retain their 55 litre recycling crate which will be used for glass recycling only under the new service.

You will be provided with a 55 litre recycling crate.

Mixing the glass with other recycling results in a contaminated product that is very difficult to separate without significant additional cost. By keeping the glass separate this ensures an overall cleaner recycling stream.

Before any kerbside collection of organics (green waste or food waste) could occur, the district would need to set up a suitable reprocessing plant that had an end market demand for what it produced. The majority of organic waste produced in the district is created by industrial or commercial activity not householders. Once a processing solution for commercial and industrial organics has been established Council can then assess whether a kerbside organics collection is appropriate.

The wheelie bins are on display at the following locations until 30 November 2022:

• Marlborough District Council Office in Blenheim
• Marlborough District Library in Blenheim
• Picton Library and Service Centre in Picton

The bins will also be on display at the community information sessions held throughout November (see information below for the times of locations of the community information sessions).

The proposed service will be paid for via a targeted rate.

This means that only households in the area of service are charged. This is a separate charge from other rates and would be highlighted on future rating statements as Kerbside Rubbish and Recycling Charge.

The calculation of the targeted rate includes all costs associated with the service and is divided by the number of households within the area of service. This ensures that all households within the area of service pay the same amount.

If you currently receive a kerbside collection service, this is projected by 1 July 2024 to cost $133 including GST per year for 52 refuse bags collected and 52 recycling crate empties. The proposed service will cost in the region of $160 including GST per year and for this you will get an additional 17 per cent capacity for rubbish and an additional 77 per cent capacity for recycling.

To check how much you are currently spending on refuse and recycling, jump online and use waste calculator tool available on Council’s website. This will help you to make an informed decision when considering the proposed increases in levels of service:

Go to the waste calculator page

Yes, however, your recycling and rubbish will be collected on a fortnightly basis.

For example, if your current kerbside collection day is a Wednesday, under the proposed new service your rubbish wheelie bin will be collected one Wednesday and the following Wednesday your recycling wheelie bin and glass recycling crate will be collected.

Yes

If the proposed changes go ahead, Council will develop tools to assist you to remember which week is rubbish collection and which week is recycling, for example, calendar stickers or calendar fridge magnets. Information will also be available on Council’s website.

If the proposed changes are adopted by Council the new contract would begin on 1 July 2024.

The long lead in time is due to logistical and supply chain challenges being experienced globally, for example, the lead time for new trucks is twelve months minimum.

No, there will actually be a reduction in the number of people employed on the kerbside collection as the proposed new service creates greater efficiencies. However, overall contract employment levels will remain the same.