Bin tags: Scrapping pay-as-you-throw collection 'unfair', low-waste residents say

Thursday, 17 February 2022

It takes about six months for Justine Skilling and her family to fill a rubbish bin. (Video first published in 2017)

Auckland Council’s proposal to scrap bin tags in favour of rates-funded rubbish collections has been labelled “unfair” by residents who produce very little waste.

West Auckland, North Shore and Papakura residents have been on a pay-as-you-throw system for their kerbside rubbish collection since 2017-2018.

Rather than pay for rubbish collection in their rates, residents in these areas purchase bin tags to attach to their rubbish bin on collection day.

Auckland Council has decided the pay as you throw system is not the way forward for the region, as bin tags would need to cost much more to be an effective waste reduction incentive.

The price of bin tags varies depending on the size of the rubbish bin – $2.85 for 80 litres, $4.25 for 120-140L and $6.15 for 240L.

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The bin tags were part of the council’s strategy to achieve its goal of zero waste to landfill by 2040 and aimed to make residents consider how much waste they were sending to landfill.

The pay-as-you-throw bin tag rubbish collection system was once considered the best way to help Auckland Council achieve its goal of sending zero waste to landfill by 2040.

This system was to be implemented across the region, however, Auckland Council now believes the price of bin tags will need to be much higher to incentivise residents to reduce their waste.

So, it is proposing to move the entire region to a rates-funded collection service, the price of which is determined by what size bins residents use.

The council estimates that with a standard 120 litre rubbish bin, this will cost households $314 per year, which covers rubbish, recycling and inorganic collection. In 2023, the council will also roll out a food scraps collection service, which is not optional and will bring the rate up to $375.

For those who put out a 120L bin each week, the rates-funded model will cost them less than the current PAYT system, at $2.89 per week compared to a $4.25 bin tag, assuming the $150.06 Auckland central and Manukau residents pay on a rates-funded model is applied to the rest of the region.

Bin tags have been known to go missing, prompting residents to leave messages on them to deter thieves. Auckland Council general manager for waste solutions Parul Sood said complaints of missing bin tags were uncommon when considering the huge areas which use them.

However, for those who are low-waste, the rates-funded system may cost them more.

Birkdale residents Jacqui and Alan Vowles put their bin out about once a month. On the rates-funded model, the Vowles will pay $12.50 per emptied bin.

This is almost three times the current cost of a standard 120L bin collection.

“I don’t think it’s fair at all,” said Jacqui Vowles.

The couple, who own rental properties, also believe rates-funded rubbish collection would make waste reduction a lower priority for tenants, given the cost would be covered by the landlord.

Jacqui Vowles feared this would increase rents. They had not increased the rent of their rentals in around five years, but would have to consider doing so to help cover the additional cost.

Henderson resident Steve Bell also felt moving to rates-funded collection was unfair, so much so that he planned to write to the mayor about it.

He and his wife currently put their bin out about once every four to six weeks, costing them between $36.55 to $55.25 a year with a $4.25 bin tag for their standard 120L bin.

They do everything they can to be good custodians of the environment.

“The council cannot punish people that are making a real effort.”

“Me and my wife are doing everything we can to reduce rubbish,” Bell said, adding that he felt the council saw the rates-funded collection as a revenue opportunity.

He would like to see bin tags used across the whole region.

Auckland Council general manager for waste solutions Parul Sood said it had always considered bin tags as an interim waste solution.

Additionally, it wanted to move away from the plastic-coated bin tags – which also end up in landfill – to a system that did the same job.

Bin tags also took a bit more effort. There had been occasions when Sood, a Waitākere resident, had to rush out to buy a bin tag in the evening after realising she had none for collection the next morning.

“It’s one more thing you need to remember to do, isn’t it?”

Sood admitted the rates-funded service would end up costing Aucklanders like Bell and the Vowles more, but said it created a more equitable system, due to the cost of the service being shared by Aucklanders on all incomes.

“It is going to have its peaks and troughs in terms of people getting affected … to provide a service at an affordable cost for everybody.”

It also still provided a financial incentive for people to reduce waste.

“If you are producing less waste, you can go for the smallest [bin].”

There would also be the opportunity to add further waste-reduction incentives in the future, Sood said.

Eventually, the council would like to move to a radio frequency identification (RFID) system, a technology which tracks the number of times a person’s rubbish bin is emptied.

This would allow the council to refund rates to those who don’t put their rubbish out each week, which would act as an incentive for people to reduce waste.

Consultation on the rubbish collection proposal will begin on February 28.

Asked if she already considered the regional shift to a rates-funded collection to be a sure thing, Sood said the council was approaching the consultation with an open mind.

“We would really welcome [residents’] feedback.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said PAYT collections of a 120L bin once a month would cost around $31.25 per collection. The figure is actually $12.50 per collection. (Amended at 6.47pm on February 18, 2022)