Kerbside underway in wakatipu

The first Wakatipu Basin kerbside recycling wheelie-bin was collected on the corner of Dalefield and Malaghans Road just before 8am this morning.


On hand were representatives of the council, the contractors and one keen member of the public.


“It’s a fantastic milestone for the community. There’s a real air of celebration as the new recycling truck hits the streets for the first time,” Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive officer Duncan Field said.


From today the service is officially underway with kerbside recycling collections occurring on the same day people normally put their rubbish out.


With the blue tops of the recycling wheelie bins lining Malaghan’s Road yesterday and the streets of Arrowtown, signs were good that the community was doing its bit.


“We want to be diverting 35% from the Victoria Flats Landfill, district-wide, by year’s end,” Mr Field said.


An ongoing part of the new service would involve education. Where people had not quite managed to recycle the right material, a card was being left to explain what constituted a contaminant.


“We expect a few teething problems but overall I think the community is ready to recycle,” Mr Field said.