Sorting your rubbish and recycling
Learn what goes in each bin, where to buy official Council rubbish bags, and how to replace wheelie bins or glass crates.
What can and can’t go in kerbside recycling
Recycling is more than just sorting the cans from the glass, and the cardboard from the plastics. It’s about making sure the recyclable materials we collect can actually be reused. When we recycle correctly, we help protect the environment and reduce landfill.
Check out this quick guide to kerbside recycling.
What goes in your crate?
- Glass bottles and jars only – no lids
What can go in your recycling wheelie bin?
- Paper and cardboard (including pizza boxes, but remove the food first)
- Tins and cans that have been cleaned
- Plastics numbered 1, 2, and 5
- These plastic items include soft drink bottles, sports drink bottles, water bottles, milk bottles, cleaning product bottles, and two-litre ice-cream containers
- Remove lids first. Lids cannot go in your recycling
What can’t go in your recycling wheelie bin?
- Plastics numbered 3, 4, 6, and 7
- Items made of these plastics include yoghurt pots, takeaway grocery bags, squeezable bottles, hard containers, medicine bottles, plastic plates/cutlery. These plastics are unable to be recycled due to lack of markets. We encourage you to try and avoid these plastics.
- Lids for bottles, jars and containers. These must be separated as they are often made from a different type of plastic to the container and are difficult for the recycling machines to sort.
- Broken glass
- Compostable packaging and containers
- Nappies and sanitary products
- Fabric and clothing
- Polystyrene
- Coffee cups and lids
- Aerosols
How to recycle
- Check the bottom of plastic containers, bottles and trays for the numbers 1, 2 or 5.
- Remove lids from all containers and bottles, including triggers or pumps. These can go in your rubbish.
- Rinse all plastics, tins, cans, and glass so they are not contaminated with food or other product.
- Don’t squash items. Squashing items makes it hard for the recycling machines to sort.
- Flatten cardboard and boxes.
Official Council receptacles
Where to purchase official yellow rubbish bags
Collection rubbish bags can be purchased from the Council office at 19 Kitchener Street in Martinborough, our service centres at the Featherston and Greytown libraries, or from local supermarkets.
Where to purchase glass crates
Glass crates can be purchased from the Council office at 19 Kitchener Street in Martinborough and our service centres at the Featherston and Greytown libraries.
How to get a new wheelie bin
If your wheelie bin is missing or stolen, please contact us on 06 306 9611 as each bin has a unique ID number that can be scanned to locate it if we find it at another location.
If your bin is stolen, your first bin will be replaced with a delivery charge. After the first replacement bin, property owners will be charged $60 per bin for replacements. Damaged bins will be repaired or replaced by the Council, except when obviously damaged by users.