Rubbish and recycling
When is rubbish and recycling collected?
Am I entitled to rubbish collection?
There is a kerbside rubbish and recycling service for ratepayers who pay for the refuse collection charge in their rates. These include:
- urban residents
- some rural residents en route to the transfer station, where it’s safe for the truck to stop; and
- some coastal properties – Te Awaiti/Tora/White Rock (see below).
What plastics can I put in my wheelie bin?
Plastics numbered 1-2 and 5 are recyclable and include soft drink bottles, sports bottles, water bottles, milk bottles, cleaning products, and 2-litre ice-cream containers – go ahead and pop these into your wheelie bin. Please remove the lids from bottles, clean them out, and do not squash as our recycling machine cannot scan squashed items easily.
Plastics numbered 3, 4, 6 and 7 include: yoghurt pots, takeaway grocery bags, squeezable bottles, hard containers, medicine bottles, plastic plates/cutlery. Unfortunately, these plastics are no longer able to be recycled because of changes in the global recycling market. We encourage you to avoid using these plastics in the first place if you can.
Wairarapa Councils have been stockpiling plastics that can’t be recycled in the hope a market will open up internationally. Luckily, these types of plastics only make up between 3-5 per cent (based on weight) of what Wairarapa residents put in their recycling bins.
I live rurally, can my rubbish be collected?
Rural ratepayers not paying the collection charge in their rates are not entitled to leave rubbish or recycling on the kerbside for collection.
Rural ratepayers can drop recycling off at Transfer Stations/Recycling Centres for free.
When will my rubbish be collected?
Please ensure your rubbish is in Council rubbish bags and on the kerb along with your recycling wheelie bin or crates by 7.30 am on your collection day.
Monday: Coastal Collections – South Coast & East Coast
Tuesday: Greytown
Wednesday: Martinborough
Thursday: Featherston
Regular coastal runs are as follows:
South Coast: Lake Ferry Road (past White Rock Road turnoff), Pirinoa/Lake Ferry settlement/Palliser Bay.
Monday: Rubbish and recycling collected year round. From mid-December until end of February there is an extra collection on Fridays.
East Coast: Tora/Te Awaiti
Monday: Rubbish and recycling collections are weekly between 1 November to 30 April and fortnightly between 1 May and 31 October. From mid-December until end of February there is an extra collection on Fridays.
For Public Holidays, coastal collections are on standard days except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. If Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Monday or Friday, pick-ups are delayed one day (to Boxing Day/day after New Year’s day).
Where can I purchase official rubbish bags?
Collection rubbish bags can be purchased from the Council Office in Martinborough, our Service Centres at the Featherston and Greytown Libraries, or local supermarkets.
Where are the transfer stations?
Council has four transfer stations to help you recycle unwanted materials. Only Martinborough station will accept recycling, green waste, e-waste AND general refuse. Dropping off general recycling is free, but there are charges to process green waste and refuse.
Please note: Green waste does not include: flax, bamboo, cabbage tree leaves and ginger root which are not compostable as due to their fibrous and waxy nature they can’t be chopped up in machines and processed. These can only be disposed of as general refuse.
Prohibited items due to fire risk: Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, discarded emergency flares, hot ashes.
Martinborough Transfer Station
Lake Ferry Road, Martinborough
(1.8 km southwest of Martinborough)
From 1 January 2021:
Wednesday: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Saturday: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Sunday: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Accepts: Refuse, recycling, green waste and e-waste.
Agricultural recycling only from 1 pm – 3 pm on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.
Disposal of e-waste at Martinborough is free
With the aim of reducing e-waste going to landfill and recovering valuable electronic materials, electronic waste can be disposed of free of charge, at Martinborough transfer station. Note that disposal of damaged or disassembled goods will incur a cost.
Greytown Recycling Station
32 Cotter Street, Greytown
Tuesday 1.00pm – 3.30pm
Saturday 10.00am – 12.00pm
Sunday 10.00am – 1.00pm
Accepts recycling and green waste only
Featherston Recycling Station
60 Johnston Street, Featherston
Thursday 11.00am – 3.00pm
Saturday 11.00am – 3.00pm
Sunday 11.00am – 3.00pm
Accepts recycling and green waste only
Pirinoa Recycling Station
3031 Lake Ferry Road, Featherston (Opposite Warren’s Road)
Wednesday 1.00pm – 3.00pm
Saturday 10.00am – 12.00pm
Sunday (May to August) 3.00pm – 5.00pm
Sunday (September to April) 4.00pm – 6.00pm
Accepts recycling and green waste only
I do not currently pay to receive rubbish collection, can I be added to the collection route?
If you are not paying for and receiving the service, please enquire to see if you can be added by calling 06 306 9611.
