Queenstown Lakes, New Zealand, moves to three-bin system

Queenstown Lakes District, New Zealand, is making changes to its solid waste management services.

Mayor Jim Boult announced in a press release the new district-wide solid waste services contract has been awarded to Waste Management New Zealand, which will partner with local group Wastebusters to deliver an “improved service” to the community.

Under the new contract, a three-bin system will be introduced, as well as a “number of environmentally friendly solutions to ensure a smarter service.”

“From July next year, we’ll be saying goodbye to the plastic blue bags and black crates,” Boult states in the release. “In their place, residents will have three wheelie-bins. One smaller 140-liter bin for waste to landfill, a 140-liter bin for glass recycling and a larger 240-liter bin for mixed recyclables.”

He adds, “We’ll see some clever solutions such as electronic tagging of wheelie bins, so we can keep track of what bin belongs where, cameras to monitor and help reduce contamination and a collection day app, so you can easily keep track of what day to put your bin out.”

Contractors will also be collecting waste from public litter bins using electric bikes, he says.

Waste Management managing director Tom Nickels says the decision "will be a step change for residential waste services in the district, setting a new benchmark for other communities.”

He adds, “We are excited by the challenge of making council’s sustainability vision happen.”

Alongside these services, Wastebusters will provide community-based education and recovery services.

Wastebusters general manager Sue Coutts says the partnership will “fast track our district’s progress towards zero waste.”

Boult says more details on how the new contract services would be rolled out to the community would be available soon. 

“In the meantime, I encourage everyone to start thinking about how they manage their waste at home to get ready for the change in service next year," he says.