Protect Our Recycling Collectors

Last week, one of our recycling collectors received nine stitches to his hand as a result of an injury from a recycling bag - the bag contained broken glass.

If you want to dispose of broken glass, wrap it well and place it in your general rubbish.

We also want to remind you not to put any glass in your recycling bag or wheelie bin - glass is for the green recycling crates only.

We require that you:

• put glass bottles and jars out for collection in your old green recycling crate on glass collection day only
• don't put glass of any kind in one of our recycling bags or wheelie bins
• don't recycle window glass and light bulbs
• put glass only (no paper, tins or plastic bags) in the green recycling crate
• clean your tins and cans before placing them in your recycling bag or wheelie bin. We also ask that you place these items in such a way that they can't cut a collector
• don't mix general rubbish such as nappies and food scraps with any recycling.

Our recycling system is controlled under the Wellington City Consolidated Bylaw 2008.

Failure to comply with this bylaw can result in:

• your recycling not being collected, in which case the recycling must be removed from the street. Failure to do so could result in an Infringement Notice and fine up to $400.
• the Council preventing you from using the collection service.

For more serious offences, such as persistent non-compliance or where a worker is injured, the Council can prosecute the offender under the Local Government Act 2002, which carries penalties of up to $20,000.

Recently in Auckland, an offender was sentenced to 40 hours community service for injuring a council worker by placing broken glass in a rubbish bag.

The crates and recycling bags / wheelie bins are collected on alternate weeks - you should by now have a calendar from us that you can refer to.

Make sure your recycling is put out in such a way that it doesn't harm our collectors.