The 4 R's

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to lessen the quantity of waste you throw away. You may also like to consider Recovery.

Reduce

Take your own bags to the supermarket to save collecting bags that you don't really want. Try and buy products with less or recyclable packaging.

Reuse

Reusable shopping bags are readily available and proven to be cost-effective while also protecting the environment. Second-hand dealers and charity groups will often take useful items so don't be too hasty in throwing things out.

Recycling

Take advantage of our kerbside recycling collection that happens once a week in Waipawa and Waipukurau. Alternatively, you can drop off your recycling to one of our 24-hour recycling drop-off centres in Waipukurau, Waipawa, Pōrangahau, Ōtāne, Tikokino, Ongaonga and Takapau. 

Recovery

Consider composting or use a building recycler who may recover materials from buildings. Below is a list showing how long it takes for the following common items to break down.

As you can see, it takes a long time for many of our everyday items to break down in the landfill. After the waste is buried, some of it will start to break down causing potential pollution problems, such as leachate and methane gas. Leachate is a liquid made up of rainwater and rotting material, which is harmful to the environment if not properly contained and treated. Methane gas is harmful to the ozone layer and comes from the breakdown of organic materials. About six per cent of New Zealand's methane emissions come from landfills.