The event kicks off a month-long focus on recycling, and also marks the beginning of Make the Most of Waste - a two-year campaign to step Aucklanders through changes to waste services in coming years, and achieve the aspirational goal of zero waste by 2040*.

Today's event used the contents of 35 recycling bins, dumped and then sorted on the spot by council staff. Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse and a number of local board members from around the region attended the event and rolled up their sleeves to help.

The event demonstrated the importance of recycling right, by highlighting wrong items that can be found in the average household recycling bin.

Some of the most common wrong items in recycling include:

• plastic bags
• medical waste and sharps
• food waste
• material e.g. clothing and curtains
• batteries.

Auckland Council's Regional Strategy and Policy Committee Chair George Wood believes Aucklanders already do a good job of recycling but with a little more knowledge they can reduce the amount going to landfill.

"Being the world's most livable city means making the most of our waste, and an important part of that is getting our recycling right," he says.

"Last year Aucklanders recycled around 117,000 tonnes of glass, plastics, paper and cans, but around 10% of the material collected in recycling was rubbish.

"At the same time, we estimate around 15% of the average household rubbish bin or bag collected by Auckland Council - over 20,000 tonnes - are items that could have been recycled.

"Mixing rubbish in recycling also costs council in excess of a million dollars a year - so it is important we get this cost down as much as we can."

The council's focus on recycling throughout October will include extensive engagement with communities and a media campaign. A new online search tool is now available on the council's website and mobile app, so people can easily find detailed guidance on what can and can't be recycled.

The campaign is the first in a series of initiatives to implement Auckland Council's Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP), and foreshadows the introduction of a service changes over the next few years, including an organic waste collection and pay as you throw for rubbish collection across the region.

Ian Stupple, Manager Solid Waste says: "In the coming years, our Make the Most of Waste campaign aims to engage, educate, prepare and hopefully inspire Aucklanders to recycle more and reduce their waste. We hope the community embraces the campaign, as it's an important step on the journey toward becoming the world's most liveable city".

www.makethemostofwaste.co.nz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Xz7awPeEk

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