Bin tag-maggedon: 'If you steal my rubbish tag, I will find you and I will kill you'

Tuesday, 2 October 2018

Intimidating messages are one way residents are trying to stop their tags from being swiped.

Frustrated south Auckland residents are coming up with creative ways to stop their council bin tags being swiped.

The pay-as-you-throw tags were introduced by Auckland Council in Papakura and west Auckland earlier this year and range from about $2.60 for an 80-litre rubbish bin to $5.50 for a 24-litre bin.

However, many people said their bin tags were being stolen, and some were photographing them or crushing the tag around the bin handle in an attempt to stop the thefts.

One tag posted to social media said 'if you steal my rubbish tag, I will find you and I will kill you', in a nod to Liam Neeson's character in Taken.

**READ MORE:

Some people put their bins out the night before, but attach the tags at the last minute.

* Auckland residents left with full rubbish bins due to thefts

* Binning trash and saying bye-bye to bags**

The tags are a temporary move while Auckland Council finds an electronic solution.

A Papakura resident told Stuff in some cases, even those tactics weren't enough of a deterrent.

'I've tried putting my address on mine [and] getting my son to put it out the same morning right before he leaves,' the Old Wairoa Rd resident said.

Auckland Council said there was a space for residents to write their addresses on the tags, which could act as a deterrent.

'My tags still get stolen. On an assisted living benefit my budget is overstretched as it is co I can't afford to keep replacing tags.

'Now I have to resort to taking pics of the tag on my bin so that council will do something.'

Another said their tags had been taken the past two weeks in a row.

'Now I have four black rubbish bags full. I was hoping I'd be all right [by] putting my bin out at 7.30am. Still never got taken, but my tag was gone.'

The tags were part of a wider move to bring the entire Auckland region under the same rubbish rules by 2020.

The council's waste solutions general manager Parul Sood said the tags were a temporary answer while the council worked towards an 'electronic solution'.

She said to date, the council had received two complaints relating to the tags, but residents should contact the council on 09 301 0101 with any concerns.

'We have worked to make the tags as secure as they can be. There are security features on the tag that mean it cannot be reused if it is removed.

'If tags were being stolen, one tip would be for residents to put their bin out in the morning of collection, or only attach the tag in the morning.

'Writing your address on your tag in the space provided is another good deterrent,' Sood said.

Locals who had sent photographic evidence in to council, said their rubbish was eventually collected but the process was a real hassle.

Others said they'd given up on the council system and opted to use a private company with a set annual fee that meant 'no tags, no stealing, no hassle'.

Waste Management holds the council contract for rubbish collection in Papakura.