Recycling bins reduce street rubbish
Paddy Gillooly checks out the new system in Collingwood.
Last week, the Tasman District Council launched the Recycling in Public Places initiative, establishing a network of easily recognisable recycling bins in busy locations across the district.
The bins, labelled with the LoveNZ logo, have been installed throughout New Zealand as part of a nationwide campaign funded by the Ministry for the Environment. Its objective is to encourage and enable tourists and locals to recycle more easily when they are out and about.
The bins are hoped to solve the litter problem in the Bay and to reduce what goes into the main street rubbish bins.
At the launch, Mayor Richard Kempthorne expressed his hopes that the bins “will soon become a fixture throughout the whole district. By placing the new bins in high-usage areas, council is demonstrating a commitment to recycling and environmental sustainability.”
David Stephenson, Tasman District Council’s utilities asset engineer, added: “We hope that all the bins around the district attract the attention of locals and visitors alike and help keep Tasman a beautiful, clean and sustainable place for everyone.”
Recycling bins have been provided at i-site in Takaka, Commercial Street Takaka and Tasman Street Collingwood.
In an international context, New Zealand is not yet up to scratch when it comes to recycling. Over the years, Takaka’s i-site manager Elizabeth Dransfield has had many enquiries for recycling from holidaymakers and overseas tourists, and has tried to get recycling bins set up at the information centre for many years. Mrs Dransfield said she was pleased with the initiative, and that the bins, placed next to the bike stand, have already been well used.
“This is going to make such a difference. We have two kinds of travellers, those who want to get rid of stuff when they arrive and those who want to dump their rubbish before they are leaving the valley. Many holidaymakers are keen to recycle and there was no place for it in town, apart from going to the refuse station. The bins are not as big as we would have liked them, but we are grateful for what we have got. What happens in the summer remains to be seen and we have to make sure they are emptied often.”
In Collingwood township, Paddy Gillooly, Farewell Spit Tours’ proprietor, has placed bins on his section. Paddy said he would try to deal with the overflow if necessary between visits from the Streetsmart crew, and hopes that people will readily use the bins.
“The bins are the size of average rubbish bins and there are two for plastic, one for cans, one for glass and for other rubbish, and I think that for most of the year they are adequate,” he said. “When I heard about the LoveNZ scheme I thought it was a good idea and a well-presented system and we wanted to do our bit to reduce what goes into the landfill.”
Takaka Golf Club too is currently trialling a recycling programme. Drink bottles, cans and cardboard are sorted into designated containers and disposed of by Helping Hands.
For further information regarding the bins, contact David Stephenson at Tasman District Council, 525 0020 or directly on 027 221 2940.
Ina Holst
