Recycling & Waste
Our Commitment
Calendar
Soft Plastic Recycling
Kerbside Collections
What can I recycle?
Our Recycling and Zero Waste Commitment
Our key focus is to reduce the total quantity of waste sent to class 1 landfills from 600kg to 400kg per person per annum by 2026. We are confident that with residents, businesses and councils working together we can achieve this goal.
Urban Refuse Collection
A domestic refuse collection is carried out once a week for urban Carterton residents on Mondays. Where a public holiday falls on Monday the collection will take place the following day.
Rubbish must be in an official bag which can be purchased from the council office, local supermarket, and selected dairies.
The bag charge includes the cost of collection and disposal.
Soft Plastic Recycling
Soft plastics can now be recycled right here in Carterton! Soft plastics are things like bread bags, chip packets, frozen food bags, and other plastic packaging that can be scrunched into a ball. Please make sure all items are clean, dry, and empty before recycling.
Where to drop them off
You can recycle soft plastics at:
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Carterton Transfer Station, 86 Dalefield Road
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New World Carterton, 60 High Street South
What you can recycle
Accepted items include:
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Bread, cereal, and frozen food bags
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Fruit and vegetable bags
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Biscuit, confectionery, and snack wrappers
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Toilet paper and paper towel wrap
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Courier bags (with paper labels removed)
Please don’t include:
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Hard plastics or containers
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Compostable or biodegradable bags
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Foil or metallic-looking packaging
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Dirty or wet packaging
Start your own soft plastics collection
We encourage households and local businesses to set up their own soft plastics bin.
Simply collect your clean, dry, scrunchable plastics in a bag or box, and drop them off at one of the collection points once full.
Find out more
Check the full list of accepted items and see other drop-off locations across New Zealand on the map, click through the link below.
By recycling your soft plastics, you’re helping reduce waste going to landfill and supporting the creation of new products like fence posts and garden edging — all made from recycled soft plastics right here in Aotearoa.
Kerbside Recycling and Sustainability
How does it work?
Both recycling crates (green and maroon) can be used for glass only and your recycling wheelie bin can be used for all other recyclables [clean tins, cans, paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and containers numbered 1, 2, and 5, such as drink, water, and milk bottles].
Your glass crates and the recycling wheelie bin will be collected on alternating weeks.
This is why we’ve numbered the bins with a 1 or 2, which corresponds to the calendar in the booklet which came with the wheelie bins. Bins numbered 1 are the red line on the calendar, and bins numbered 2 are the blue line.
Key things to remember
- Your kerbside recycling and general waste are collected on Mondays.
- Must be out by 7.30 or it stays dirty!
- Forgotten whether it’s week one or week 2? Check out the top bar on the homepage of our website cdc.govt.nz
- All containers are best rinsed, lids off and not squashed please.
Visit wairecycle.nz for more information.
Collection Areas
The map below shows weekly collection areas in urban Carterton.
What Can I Recycle?
As well as kerbside collections, our Transfer Station has a range of options for recycling.
A quick reminder of what can go into your kerbside recycling
The Ministry for the Environment is introducing nationwide recycling standards to make sure each council is collecting the same recycling across the country. This means no matter where you are in the country recycling from home will be the same. There will be no difference to the recycling in Carterton following the standardisation rules that take effect.
What goes in my crate?
✓ Glass bottles and jars only.
𝕏 No lids.
What goes into my recycling bin?
Plastic bottles, trays, and containers numbered 1,2 and 5 only.
Food and drink cans cleaned.
Paper and cardboard including those pizza boxes but remove the food first.
Items not for recycling
- Lids for bottles, jars and containers
- Plastics numbered 3,4,6 and 7
- Compostable packaging and containers
- Nappies and sanitary products
- Batteries – these can be taken to the recycling stations throughout Wairarapa.
- Soft plastic – plastic that can be scrunched into a ball such as bread bags, bubble wrap, and chippie packets, these can also be taken to any of our recycling stations.
- Fabric and clothing
- E-waste – can be taken to Carterton, Masterton, and Martinborough transfer stations.
- Polystyrene
- Coffee cups and lids.
- Aerosols