Western Bay of Plenty residents have increased the amount of waste diverted from landfill by 20 per cent compared to last year.

Since Western Bay of Plenty District Council's kerbside rubbish and recycling service hit the streets in July 2021, the community has surpassed expectations by doubling the amount we expected to divert from landfill in 2021-22, and by building on that number again this year.

The stats for the year projected to June 30, 2023, show the average Western Bay household have increased their weekly recycling (mixed recycling, glass and food waste) by 20 per cent, compared to numbers from 2021-22.

Council's solid waste contract manager Tony Wilson says now that we have nearly two years of stats, we can see some great trends emerging.

'The numbers are showing us exactly what we want to see. Our communities are increasing recycling compared to last year (2021-22) and decreasing waste sent to landfill.

'And although Covid lockdowns did affect last year's landfill numbers, there's still a lot to be celebrated here. The total amount of waste has gone down, even after us adding another 463 homes to our kerbside service.”

Plus, the Pay-As-You-Throw tag system is saving households some money, sys Tony.

The average Western Bay household only puts their red bin out 31 perc ent of the time, and because they only pay for what they use, not a flat annual rate, they're keeping some cash in their pocket.

Tony says that while these numbers are exciting, we know there's always room for improvement.

'We're keen to see what we can do next year.

'From July 1 we kick off a new year of kerbside collections and we're asking you to take on the kerbside challenge on for 2023-24. If everyone does their bit, we can reduce our waste to landfill even more and show were doing more than just recycling – we're changing our habits by only buying the things we need and opting for reusable items before recyclable items.

'Let's get competitive and out-do ourselves next year.”

Tony's top tips for reducing waste

1. Use your food scraps bin (or home compost)

We can reduce waste and by putting food scraps in your food scraps bin (collected every week) or composting them in your backyard. This includes fruit and vegetable scraps, rice, pasta, eggshells, coffee grounds, meat, seafood shells, bones as well as cooked food – leftovers, mouldy or rotten.

You can line the food scraps bin with brown paper or newspaper, or freeze scraps until collection day, to help keep the bin clean and odour free.

2. Purchasing wisely – avoid unnecessary packaging

You can easily reduce waste by buying products that come with less or recyclable packaging. Not all plastics are recyclable, containers labelled with 1, 2 and 5's are accepted and should be placed in the yellow lid recycling bin along with paper, cardboard, cleaned empty steel tins and aluminium cans.

Never miss an opportunity to recycle

We're kicking off our third year of the kerbside service with a new calendar showing which bins - glass or recycling – need to go out each week.

This year's calendar also has the details for changes in the public holiday collections affecting the week of Christmas and New Year, and the collections on Good Friday in 2024.

Here's how to get your calendar

• Download a calendar from our website kerbsidecollective.co.nz
• Cut out a calendar from the paper – keep an eye on Lizard news, Te Puke Times, Katikati Advertiser, Weekend Sun and It's About Time Waihī Beach
• Pick up a free printed calendar from one of our library and service centres

• Get weekly reminders on your phone via the Antenno app. Download the app via westernbay.govt.nz/antenno