Waitākere – Rubbish, recycling and food scraps bins and charges

Rubbish bins

Rubbish bin sizes

• 240-litre bins are suitable for a household with up to five people.
• 120-litre bins are suitable for a household with up to three people.
• 80-litre bins are suitable for a household with up to two people.

Rubbish bin tags no longer in use

Waitākere stopped the use of rubbish prepaid tags from Monday 2 December 2024. You can get a refund for unused bin tags.

Refunds for Waitākere will be available from Sunday 1 December 2024 to Friday 31 January 2025. Visit Bin tag use to end for more information.

Recycle bins

Recycling bin sizes

• 360-litre bins are suitable for a household with up to eight people or more.
• 240-litre bins are suitable for a household with up to five people.
• 120-litre bins are suitable for a household with up to three people.

Food scraps bin

The food scraps service includes a 23-litre food scraps bin and a kitchen caddy.

Compostable bin liners for a kitchen caddy

You can use an Auckland Council compostable bin liner in your food scraps kitchen caddy.

For information about where to buy compostable bin liners and pricing, visit Food scraps collection bins and bin liners.

How rubbish, recycling and food scraps bin charges are calculated

You are charged for waste collection services each year in your property rates. The rating year runs from 1 July to 30 June.

If your new waste collection service starts part way through the rating year, you will be charged from the date you order the service until 30 June.

Waste charges for a full year will be added to a property rates account from the new rating year starting 1 July.

You will not get a refund on your rates if you downsize a rubbish bin. The extra charge for the larger bin will be removed from your rates from 1 July.

Rubbish bin charges

Rubbish collections will be funded through your property rates from Monday 2 December 2024. Between that time and the new rating year (1 July 2025), the cost to your rates for the partial year is based on the size of your rubbish bin.

If you order a new bin after December 2024, the cost is calculated on the size of the bin and the month it was ordered.

Visit Rates-funded rubbish changes for more information.

For bin requests, visit Rubbish, recycling and food scraps bin information.

Rubbish bin exchange fees

You will need to pay a one-off administration fee of $40 to exchange your bin.

If you exchange your rubbish bin for a smaller size between July 2024 and January 2025 the $40 administration fee for bin exchanges will be offset against your rates reduction:

• If the rates reduction is less than $40, you will not pay any extra fees.
• If the reduction is more than $40, the difference will be credited to your rates account.

For bin requests, visit Rubbish, recycling and food scraps bin information.

Recycling bin charges

The charge for a new recycling service is based on the time between when a new recycling bin is ordered and the end of the rating year on 30 June. The charge is the same for all bin sizes.

For bin requests, visit Rubbish, recycling and food scraps bin information.

Recycling bin exchange fee

You will need to pay a one-off fee of $40 to exchange your bin for a different size.

Food scraps bin charges

The charge for a new food scraps service is based on the time between when a new food scraps bin is ordered and the end of the rating year on 30 June. If your food scraps bin is frequently over-full you can request an additional bin at no cost.

For bin requests, visit Rubbish, recycling and food scraps bin information.