Your refuse and recycling MUST be placed out for collection BEFORE 7:30am to guarantee pick up.
What goes in the wheelie bin?
The wheelie bins are only to be used for:
- clean rigid plastic, grades 1, 2 and 5 only
- clean tins/cans
- paper and cardboard
- pizza boxes (remove leftover pizza)
What are rigid plastic grades 1,2 and 5?
- Drink and sports bottles
- water bottles,
- milk bottles,
- cleaning products and personal care bottles (shampoo, conditioner and body wash),
- ice cream tubs,
- margarine tubs,
- yoghurt tubs and pottles,
- take-out containers (not polystyrene),
- Prescription bottles.
All of these must have their lids removed and be rinsed clean - if you can't get the lid off to rinse the bottle clean, don't recycle it.
Soft plastics (e.g. plastic bags) can go into the soft plastics bin at:
- New World, Waihi
- Four Square, Ngatea
- Hauraki Reuse and Repair Centre
- Refuse transfer stations, Paeroa and Waihi.
Did you know?Bottle lids can't go in the recycling as they fall through the gaps on the recycling sorting centre's conveyor belt and cause blockages |
Not all plastic is fantastic
We've compiled a helpful list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to provide further information about recycling plastics in our district.
- view the Plastic Recycling FAQs

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Let's Talk Rubbish |
What cannot be recycled in your wheelie bin?
x automotive parts
x aerosol cans (of any kind)
x batteries
x bottle lids
x bubble wrap
x ceramics
x coffee capsules/pods
x crockery
x disposal coffee cups
x disposable face masks
x disposable gloves
x disposable nappies
x electrical goods See Waihi E-Waste Depot
x engine oil bottles
x food waste
x garden waste
x hot ashes
x liquids
x oven ware
x paint or chemicals
x paper towels
x plastics 3,4,6,7
x plastic bags and wrappers (soft plastics)
x porcelain
x polystyrene
x rubbish
x takeaway cups
x tetra paks (e.g. milk, juice, ready-made custard containers)
x tin foil
x yoghurt containers
What goes in the blue crate?
The blue crates are to be used for:
- Glass only - empty and clean glass bottles and jars (clear, amber, blue and green).
What if I have too much glass for my crate?
Our contractors will accept extra glass bottles but they must be in an official blue crate. These are available for $15 dollars at any of our offices. Alternatively, our refuse transfer stations all accept recycling at no charge.
What cannot go in the crate?
x broken glass
x china and crockery – cups, saucers, plates –
x drinking glasses
x fluorescent tubes
x glass bricks
x light bulbs
x medical and laboratory glass containers
x opal glass
x pyrex dishes and ovenware
x window glass
x TV tubes See Waihi E-Waste Depot
x computer screens See Waihi E-Waste Depot
Recyclables at the Refuse Transfer Stations
The following CLEAN Recyclable materials are accepted at Hauraki District Council refuse transfer stations at Paeroa and Waihi:
- Aluminium cans
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Scrap metal
- Plastics - rigid plastic grades 1 and 2
- Glass
- Car bodies (Clean condition with seat and tyres removed, petrol tank pierced and all other fluids removed)
- Car batteries
- Tyres (a fee is charged depending on size of tyre)
- LPG Bottles (a fee is charged)
- Oil
- Wire Fencing is accepted as long as the batons and posts are REMOVED.
Contaminated containers like Oil containers, Cling wrap and meat trays will not be accepted.
Also view: Waihi E-Waste Depot