Recycle rort – Hamilton’s $20k bins send 80% to tip

It’s an expensive waste of waste.

More than 80% of material put into Hamilton City Council’s 13 public mixed recycling bins ends up being dumped into landfill. Spoiling and contamination is to blame with the likes of food, spilt liquids and other rubbish making for a hefty bill for ratepayers with little recycling to show for it.

The annual cost of clearing Hamilton’s public bins – from sites such as Garden Place, Hood St and Ward St – is up to $20,000 for about 360 kilograms of material, a council statement said.

This works out at up to more than $55 a kilogram and compares with mixed recycling and glass-related kerbside recycling costs of about $157 per tonne, according to the council’s figures – or 16 cents a kilogram.

All the public bins take mixed content – plastic, glass and cans – which is brought back to the council’s depot for sorting.

“We estimate more than 80% will go to landfill due to the spoiling/contamination of the mixed content,” a statement said.

Council recycling bins sighted by Stuff in the CBD had general rubbish bins right beside them.

The council was interested in exploring the separation of rubbish and recycling bins to prevent contamination.

On the disparity in costs by weight doe processing public bin and kerbside collections, unit director resource recovery and sustainability Tania Hermann said the cost to clear public place bins is generally higher than kerbside bins because public bins are cleared twice per week.

“Also, due to high contamination rates of the bins, it takes more time to manually sort through each of the bins for the clean recyclable items.”

Meanwhile, people could help ensure material put in public bins isn’t contaminating other recyclables by following the idea of “if in doubt, keep it out of the recycling bin”.

All recyclable items should be clean before they go into a public or kerbside recycling bin.

If items are dirty take them home and wash them before putting them into a kerbside bin or glass crate, the spokesperson said.

Using reusable cups, and bowls, straws and cutlery was another great way to reduce waste.

The recovery rate for home recycling is significantly brighter than for public bins.

On “kerbside recycling”, audits showed 25%-30% of material placed in the yellow-topped bins was non-recyclable but some 98.8% of what was recyclable was being recovered.

Hamiltonians had mixed opinions on whether the council should continue with the public recycling bins.

Wallesha Tauranga said it was a tricky question because the council’s intentions could be all good and well, but what it comes down to is people using it correctly.

“It is a lot of money. I very rarely come into the city, but I always recycle at home, it’s my nephew’s job to empty the recycling into the bins.”

Walking through Garden Place, Latisha Potter said she would like to know what is being done to stop 80% going into the landfill.

“Is the company cleaning everything up, so it can be recycled or do they just pick it up clean or not and chuck it in the landfill.

“For me before we say they spend $20,000 a year on it and 80% goes to the landfill what is causing it?”

Lorna Cable thought maybe the council shouldn’t keep paying for it, but said the recycling is a bit of an issue.

“You are putting it into recycling, but it’s not going to recycling. A lot of effort and money must go into the collection.”

Cable does recycle at home as much as she can.

“But you do wonder where it goes and whether it’s worth it, because there is so much stuff that can’t go in the recycle.”

Murray McGregor believes the bins should stay if the contents had a better destination but if it’s just for window dressing then no they shouldn’t.

McGregor said he recycles at home.

“It goes in the yellow bin, and what happens to that? I don’t know.”