Resourceful Rotorua
What you can do to help
Help us divert as much waste from the landfill as possible. Public litter bins are not effective for recovery of materials; containers are usually unclean and not able to be accepted for recycling. Treasure our community - please take your rubbish home to help recover recyclable materials.
Download and print out a Resourceful Rotorua poster.
How we will achieve our mission
By removing approximately 14% of our public litter bins and placing them only where they’re needed, we’re hoping to empower people to minimise waste generation, and maximise waste diversion and resource recovery.
Read the Waste Management & Minimisation Plan 2022-28 (PDF, 11.4MB)
Won’t removing bins cause more litter?
Shouldn’t our rates provide essential services such as rubbish bins in public spaces?
What will visitors do with their rubbish?
Many other councils and organisations, including the Department of Conservation, follow a similar ‘leave no trace’ principle. Visitors should have access to waste management facilities at their usual place of residence, and tourists at their accommodation. Pay-to-view tourist attractions provide their own litter management.
The bulk of litter managed by Rotorua Lakes Council in our urban, suburban and local recreational spaces originates from people living in the district. By removing or relocating public litter bins encourages all to rethink, reuse and reduce waste generated from daily activities.
Where can I put my dog poo bags?
Dog poo should be collected in a plastic bag and can be taken home or to visitor accommodation for disposal where public bins are not available. If you have a dog, plan ahead and keep a lidded container in your car to assist in transportation if smell or hygiene is a concern.
Why punish responsible bin users for a minority?
While some people take their rubbish away, sadly many dump it, causing safety and hygiene issues and attracting undesirable pests. Removing or relocating litter bins encourages less rubbish taken into our natural environments and reduces the amount of litter we are likely to see.
One in three public bins are being misused. They’re increasingly used for illegal dumping of household and business waste with Council spending a significant amount disposing of waste dumped by public bins and roadsides, incurring an avoidable cost to ratepayers.
Why does it matter whether I take my litter home or leave in a public bin if it all ends up in the same place?
We want to divert as much waste from the landfill as possible. We can do this by recovering recyclable materials. Public litter bins are not effective for recovery of materials, and containers are usually unclean and not able to be accepted for recycling.
The initiative to remove or relocate litter bins in local public parks and reserves encourages our community and visitors to take responsibility for what they bring into our natural areas and take rubbish home to wash and recycle.
How can we reduce waste?
Role model positive action and encourage your friends and family to do the same. We can also reduce the amount of waste we generate when visiting our parks and reserves by:
- Choosing foods with less packaging i.e. pre-cut fruit, home baking.
- Using reusable containers and wraps to store snacks and drinks
- Taking any rubbish you do have home, so recyclables can be washed, sorted and rubbish placed in our bins at home.
