Key Proposal 2: Waste collection and funding changes
Do we introduce Council wheelie bins for rubbish and organics to reduce landfill waste?
We need to reduce waste going to landfill. We could do this by introducing new Council wheelie bins for rubbish, and separate ones for food scraps and garden waste. We’d introduce a new targeted rate to pay for this. If we change one part of the waste collection system it makes sense to look at the rest, so we are also reviewing our recycling and glass collection services. These changes are proposed to be introduced from July 2026 – any targeted rates would not come into effect until then.
There are six options for rubbish and organics:
- Weekly 50L rubbish bags and no organics collection – status quo.
- Fortnightly 50L rubbish bags and weekly 23L food only bin.
- Fortnightly 50L rubbish bags and weekly 80L food and garden wheelie bin.
- Weekly 80L rubbish wheelie bin and no organics collection.
- Fortnightly 120L rubbish wheelie bin and weekly 23L food only bin.
- Fortnightly 120L rubbish wheelie bin and Weekly 80L food and garden wheelie bin. (Preferred option.)
There are four options for recycling and glass:
- Fortnightly 140L recycling wheelie bin and fortnightly 45L glass crate – status quo.
- Fortnightly 140L recycling wheelie bin and four-weekly 80L glass wheelie bin.
- Fortnightly 240L recycling wheelie bin and fortnightly 45L glass crate. (Preferred option.)
- Fortnightly 240L recycling wheelie bin and four-weekly 80L glass wheelie bin.
Do we introduce Council wheelie bins for rubbish and organics to reduce landfill waste?
We need to reduce waste going to landfill. We could do this by introducing new Council wheelie bins for rubbish, and separate ones for food scraps and garden waste. We’d introduce a new targeted rate to pay for this. If we change one part of the waste collection system it makes sense to look at the rest, so we are also reviewing our recycling and glass collection services. These changes are proposed to be introduced from July 2026 – any targeted rates would not come into effect until then.
There are six options for rubbish and organics:
- Weekly 50L rubbish bags and no organics collection – status quo.
- Fortnightly 50L rubbish bags and weekly 23L food only bin.
- Fortnightly 50L rubbish bags and weekly 80L food and garden wheelie bin.
- Weekly 80L rubbish wheelie bin and no organics collection.
- Fortnightly 120L rubbish wheelie bin and weekly 23L food only bin.
- Fortnightly 120L rubbish wheelie bin and Weekly 80L food and garden wheelie bin. (Preferred option.)
There are four options for recycling and glass:
- Fortnightly 140L recycling wheelie bin and fortnightly 45L glass crate – status quo.
- Fortnightly 140L recycling wheelie bin and four-weekly 80L glass wheelie bin.
- Fortnightly 240L recycling wheelie bin and fortnightly 45L glass crate. (Preferred option.)
- Fortnightly 240L recycling wheelie bin and four-weekly 80L glass wheelie bin.
Check the other questions below - your question may already have an answer.
Please be concise and respectful in asking questions - we will do our best to respond promptly (usually by two working days). Some answers may take a bit longer to get the details right. We monitor the site from 8:30am - 5pm Monday to Friday.
Note: The question box is to enable us to provide any additional information to you to better inform your submission. We are unable to count any comment submitted in the questions box as a final submission.
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Can we opt out of food waste caddy and not be charged for this. We compost all our waste. Like others we live up many steps and can not manage wheelie bins. Happy with status quo as bins will finish up in the gully.
Janice asked 5 days agoKia ora Janice,
Thank you for your question and your interest in the Long-term Plan.
The answer from the Waste team is below:
Our current waste system is fragmented, inefficient and carries a big carbon footprint. Council is proposing to transition to a more equitable system with lesser emissions that will enable better diversion of materials. A system that is convenient and affordable will encourage behaviours best suited for diversion of recycling materials and organics away from landfill. Council encourages composting at home, however our landfill receives approx. 22,500 tonnes of organic material per annum that when landfilled releases methane. A council organic service would ensure we divert organics from landfill and use it as a resource.
It is not proposed to include an opt-out option to ensure the service remains cost-effective and no household is disadvantaged (e.g. it avoids the risk of landlords choosing to opt out, leaving renters to arrange their own service).
The Council is exploring whether to offer alternate bin sizes for residents to choose from, with the associated final targeted rate costs reflecting the bin size.
Ngā mihi
The Long-term Plan Engagement Team
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If the fee for which ever option is going to be mandatory for all rate payers that the service is available for, will this mean that if i do not use the council general rubbish bin or organic waste i will still be charged for this service? If so would this not then be a waste of money for home owners to use 3rd party waste services so would either drive these companies out of home rubbish collection or mean there prices would sky rocket to pay for this service that the council is now trying to under cut? What thought has the council put towards the organic bins and how will it stop/ prevent non organic stuff being placed in these that may cause the whole truckload going to the landfill anyway? Or will rate payers pay for this service but no use it as having to clean there bins out every week to sure a bin that is keep probably close to there walkway from stinking out there property? Or a 23L bin that elderly would struggle to move to the road side if needed
Nugget asked 6 days agoKia ora Nugget,
Thank you for your question and your interest in the Long-term Plan.
The answer from the Waste team is below:
Our current waste system is fragmented, inefficient and carries a big carbon footprint. Council is proposing to transition to a more equitable system with lesser emissions that will enable better diversion of materials. A system that is convenient and affordable will encourage behaviours best suited for diversion of recycling materials and organics away from landfill. Council encourages composting at home, however our landfill receives approx. 22,500 tonnes of organic material per annum that when landfilled releases methane. A council organic service would ensure we divert organics from landfill and use it as a resource.
It is not proposed to include an opt-out option to ensure the service remains cost-effective and no household is disadvantaged (e.g. it avoids the risk of landlords choosing to opt out, leaving renters to arrange their own service).
The Council is exploring whether to offer alternate bin sizes for residents to choose from, with the associated final targeted rate costs reflecting the bin size.
Ngā mihi
The Long-term Plan Engagement Team
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Will the wheelie bins replace the current yellow bags completely? What are the projected costs of these collection services if options F and C were carried out? And the different sizes of bins in terms of organic waste sound good to me.
Misspalindrome asked 8 days agoKia ora Misspalindrome,
Thank you for your question and your interest in the Long-term Plan.
The answer from the Waste team is below:
Due to Wellington’s topography, some households are not safe for a wheelie bin collection service. These households would need to remain on a bagged collection for rubbish and recycling, with a glass crate and 23L food scraps caddy where possible.
Option F on page 39 of the consultation document lists the additional operational expenditure and debt impact. Information on this link here under ‘Have your say’ section;
https://www.letstalk.wellington.govt.nz/hub-page/long-term-plan-2024-34Ngā mihi
The Long-term Plan Engagement Team
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To inform collection, what kinds of considerations and calculations have been made on the potential capacity/scalability for waste and recycling? e.g. 1. is there a limit on how much plastic/glass can be recycled locally vs nationally (for the different collection rates, what percentage of processing capacity does that represent)? 2. Is the increase or decrease in recycling collection likely to affect the scalability/price of the recycling process 3. how much compost could the region use vs how much would the organics produce (what percentage of optimum are we aiming for?)
Jack D asked 12 days agoKia ora Jack D,
Thank you for your question and your interest in the Long-term Plan.
The answer from the Waste team is below:
There is sufficient capacity in the region and in NZ to cater for volume increases of recycling and glass.
For context, all recycling for WCC, PCC and HCC occurs at a regional recycling facility. The volume and cost of recycling are relatively stable, so it's unlikely we would see a material increase or decrease in costs.
Wellington City Council is partnering with Hutt City Council and Porirua City Council to engage the market on organic processing solutions. The market response will determine the technology used and the end products. Details of various potential processing technologies is listed here on page 98 of this council document;The end products from these technologies vary and could be any of the following including; compost, biogas (to generate heat and electricity), heat (produced from generators to power glass houses), digestate for soil as a nutrient, vermicompost and worm castings.
The aim of the procurement is to land on the best solution where organic matter from kerbside is diverted from landfill, processed and repurposed to create an end product that can be used to improve soil structure, enhance water infiltration, retention of nutrients and as a source of reusable energy.
Ngā mihi
The Long-term Plan Engagement Team
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I live in a townhouse complex under current rules -12 units we don’t get recycling at all. Can we get this under new scheme? Maybe 1 bin per 2 units to cut back on so many on the street. Recycling for plastics card and glass. Karori
Trina asked 8 days agoKia ora Trina,
Thank you for your question and your interest in the Long-term Plan.
The answer from the Waste team is below:
Due to complexities around providing services to apartments and the bespoke methods required to service these properties, apartments are not included as part of this proposal. However, council officers are actively investigating how properties in the CBD, multi-unit developments (which can’t receive a standard service) and those on private roads (who don’t have legal agreements in place) can be provided a service. These properties equate to approximately 19% of the total residential households within the Wellington City Council boundaries. It is anticipated that we will consult on possible options in the next LTP (2027-37).
Ngā mihi
The Long-term Plan Engagement Team
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Would the rates based wheelie bins and bags cost more or less per week/fortnight than the existing bags and wheelie bin services available in wellington? Will you be contracting out to the exiting wheelie bin companies? If i cant get a wheelie bin because i live in s unit/townhouse (even though its on flat) could i still buy only as many bags as i need? I wouldnt need any more than 1 50l bag a fornight or wven every 3 weeks if there are organics collections.
russ asked 11 days agoKia ora russ,
Thank you for your question and your interest in the Long-term Plan.
The answer from the Waste team is below:
Please refer to page 21 of the Committee paper on the link below, under the section ‘Affordability for households’
The collection services will be contracted out to wheelie bin collection operator/s.
Council is investigating options how best to provide rubbish, recycling and organics collection services to apartments and multiunit developments. Residents that receive recycling bins or bags will be reviewed as part of this proposal. It is our intention to provide recycling bins where it is safe and practicable to do so.
Ngā mihi
The Long-term Plan Engagement Team
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At present we use recycling plastic bags as we have steps and can't manage bins. Will these remain an option? At present we only put out one rubbish bag every 5 weeks as we compost and recycle most items. Present system allows us to pay for what we use. How will proposed system accommodate this?
Janet Walbran asked 13 days agoKia ora Janet,
Thank you for your question and your interest in the Long-term Plan.
The answer from the Waste team is below:
Due to Wellington’s topography, some households are not safe for a wheelie bin collection service. These households would need to remain on a bagged collection for rubbish and recycling, with a glass crate and 23L food scraps caddy where possible. The targeted rate will still apply, and the council will supply recycling and rubbish bags.
Ngā mihi
The Long-term Plan Engagement Team
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Can you explain if anything is being done for multi-unit dwellings - specifically townhouses in suburbs? Currently we aren’t even eligible for rubbish collections let alone recycling! (Although we still put bags out regardless as it is shocking for our environment to imagine it all going to landfill).
Anonn asked 13 days agoKia ora Anonn,
Thank you for your question and your interest in the Long-term Plan.
The answer from the Waste team is below:
Due to complexities around providing services to apartments and the bespoke methods required to service these properties, apartments are not included as part of this proposal. However, council officers are actively investigating how properties in the CBD, multi-unit developments (which can’t receive a standard service) and those on private roads (who don’t have legal agreements in place) can be provided a service. These properties equate to approximately 19% of the total residential households within the Wellington City Council boundaries. It is anticipated that we will consult on possible options in the next LTP (2027-37).
Ngā mihi
The Long-term Plan Engagement Team
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Will having a council run composting facility mean it can take food scraps that can't be put in some home composting systems such as dairy or meat scraps?
Kazo asked 14 days agoKia ora Kazo,
Thank you for your question and your interest in the Long-term Plan.
The answer from the Waste team is below:
Yes, dairy and meat scraps will be allowed in the organics service when the council rolls it out.
Ngā mihi
The Long-term Plan Engagement Team
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Hello team Can you look into recycling bags for inner city apartments? We already use bags for our rubbish. Why is it so difficult? Thanks
DQ asked 14 days agoKia ora DQ,
Thank you for your question and your interest in the Long-term Plan.
The answer from the Waste team is below:
Due to complexities around providing services to apartments and the bespoke methods required to service these properties, apartments are not included as part of this proposal. However, council officers are actively investigating how properties in the CBD, multi-unit developments (which can’t receive a standard service) and those on private roads (who don’t have legal agreements in place) can be provided a service. These properties equate to approximately 19% of the total residential households within the Wellington City Council boundaries. It is anticipated that we will consult on possible options in the next LTP (2027-37).
Ngā mihi
The Long-term Plan Engagement Team
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