Tauranga City Council will restart some of its services, including collecting food scraps and glass bins from this coming Wednesday, under Alert Level 3.

These services will be resumed in line with government guidelines to protect the safety of our people and community.

Food scraps and glass bin collections will restart on September 1.

Under Alert Level 3 guidelines, food scraps and glass bins will be collected. Residents should note that there are no changes to the collection days or frequencies.

People who live in apartments or villages with communal bins will see these collected as normal.

Tauranga City Council sustainability and waste manager Sam Fellows is pleased to see food scraps and glass collected again and diverted from landfill.

"Although a reduced service was unavoidable to protect our community, we are excited to see recycling and composting services restart again," says Sam.

Tips for ensuring glass and food scraps bins will be emptied:

• Food scraps tend to stick to the bottom of the bin if they've been left a while. Our drivers can't put their hands inside the bin, so residents should ensure food scraps are loosened with a stick before putting their bins on the kerb, or line your bin with newspaper.
• A lot of residents will be needing to get rid of their glass, but overfilled bins won't be collected as they can spill onto the pavement or road and cause a hazard – please only fill your blue bin to the top line.

Transfer station

Te Maunga Transfer Station will reopen for rubbish, garden waste, and some recycling services at Alert Level 3.

Tins, cans, paper, cardboard and glass can be recycled at the transfer station, however, plastics - all numbers - can't be accepted, as they require additional sorting and these materials pose a health risk to our workers at the sorting facility.

Significant delays are likely due to having additional safety measures in place. Residents will be required to sign-in on arrival, wear a mask and only cashless payment will be accepted.

Excess waste

"As the reduced service under Alert Level 4 will have left some households with excess waste, we encourage residents to ‘drip-feed' their excess waste into their regular collections if possible," says Fellows.

If this is not possible, from 7.30am, Wednesday, September 1, until 5pm, Tuesday September 15, residents can drop two 60-litre rubbish bags per household at Te Maunga Transfer Station free of charge. Note that these do not need to be pre-paid council bags.

"Residents should make their way to the recycling area, not the weighbridge, to drop these off.

"Long delays are expected, so we encourage residents to only use this service if necessary.

"We know lockdown is the ultimate time for a spring clean, but this service is only for those who are truly struggling with excess waste. Now is not to the time to have a big clear-out."

Assisted kerbside collections service

The assisted service continues at Alert Level 3, with the same health and safety precautions as Alert Level 4.

"Our drivers will be wearing full personal protective equipment and will be sanitising your bins before and after collections."

What Tauranga City Council need from assisted service customers:

• Please leave your bins in plain sight. The driver shouldn't need to open gates or leave the driveway.
• Please tie or tape your bin liner closed to prevent spillage.
• Keep two metres away from the driver and be mindful that our drivers can't stop to chat.

"Our team is doing an important job," says Fellows.

"Assisted service customers can show their support with a smile and a wave from afar but should remember to stay a safe distance away at this time."

Those who would like to temporarily suspend their assisted service should contact council on +64 7 577 7000 or email kerbside@tauranga.govt.nz

If residents are able, they can take their rubbish and recycling bins to the kerb on their designated collections day and they will be collected.