MEDIA RELEASE
13 December 2004

Watch your waste this Christmas!

As Aucklanders enjoy the holiday season, the by-products of the festivity will put increased pressure on the city’s rubbish services.

Wine bottles, wrapping paper and Christmas trees often end up in the green wheelie bins and Auckland City is encouraging residents to recycle as much as possible.

“We often find the green bins full to overflowing during the peak holiday season when the majority of the rubbish could easily be recycled,” says Warwick Jaine, resource recovery manager at Auckland City.

“By diverting materials away from landfill by recycling Christmas rubbish, residents can play their part in creating a more sustainable city.”

Mr Jaine offered the following solutions for recycling Christmas rubbish:
- put wine and beer bottles and cans in the blue recycling bin. Each property is entitled to three blue recycling bins. If residents require more blue bins they should call Auckland City to organise delivery.
- wrapping paper should be tied together or put into a bag and put out on the kerbside for the weekly collection. If it’s in good condition, saving it for next year is a great idea!
- Christmas trees should be disposed of at a local refuse transfer station or collected by a garden bag company. Call Auckland City on (09) 379 2020 to find out the location and prices for transfer stations.

Holiday rubbish collection days do not change for the isthmus this year. Residents are advised to put their rubbish out on the same day as usual.

Collections on Waiheke are one day later over Christmas and New Year:
- collections that would normally take place on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December will now be made on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 December respectively
- collections normally on Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 January will now be made on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 January respectively.

Ends

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