Council offers a kerbside recycling service to all residential, rateable properties, with a 240L yellow top recycling bin and a blue crate for glass. 

Council’s collection service complies with the national standards introduced from 1 February 2024.

Make sure to check out the Recycling Frequently Asked Questions

What You Need To Know

• Your recycling wheelie bin is for plastics, cans, tins, paper and cardboard.
• Your blue crate is for unbroken glass bottles and jars ONLY.
• Your collection day is listed on the sticker on your wheelie bin. You can also look it up here.
• All recycling (mixed and glass) is collected on the same day every two weeks.
• Recycling needs to be out at the kerb by 7am to guarantee collection.
• Clean recycling goes straight into the wheelie bin or blue crate – please don’t put it into plastic bin bags or other containers.

>>> From 1 February 2024 the government is standardising what can be accepted in domestic recycling collections across the country, and the good news is that our region already meets these standards.

Check out our ten top tips to make recycling easy and click the link to our FAQs for more info. If you still can’t find an answer email rethinkwaste@ncc.govt.nz

What’s accepted: 

• Clean plastic bottles, trays and containers with resin identification codes 1, 2 and 5 (see below for exceptions.
• Clean paper and cardboard, including glossy magazines, egg cartons (also great for home composting) and pizza boxes (grease stained is OK but no food waste). Staples are OK (although if there are lots and you have time to remove this does help).
• Clean, unbroken glass jars and bottles made from ‘container glass’ (eg, not heat resistant glass, drinking glasses, light bulbs, etc). Please don’t overfill the crate or it won’t be collected.
• Aluminium and steel tins and cans

What’s not included (please keep these items out to ensure that recycling doesn’t get contaminated):

• Anything that has food or liquid in it
• Soft plastics and plastics 3, 4, 6 and 7
• Any container bigger than 4 litres or smaller than 50mm at their widest point
• Any plastic container not clearly numbered 1, 2 or 5
• All lids (unless attached to open container)
• Plastic containers used for hazardous substances (for example paint or plant pots) not accepted
• Compostable containers (bio plastic or fibre products including single use cups and lids)
• Aluminium foil or trays
• Shredded paper or paper items smaller
• Plastic lined paper products such as receipts from tills
• Liquid paperboard (eg, juice and plant milk containers)
• Aerosols
• Batteries – they can cause serious fires! Check alternatives here 

Soft Plastic Recycling In Nelson Tasman

The Packaging Forum’s soft plastic recycling scheme is back up and running in the Nelson/Tasman region. Drop-off points are now available at the following stores:

• Countdown in Nelson, Richmond and Motueka
• The Warehouse Nelson, Richmond and Motueka
• New World Stoke and Motueka

All soft plastic collected will go to Future Post to be recycled into fence posts and garden beds.

(Remember – plastics must be dry, clean and easy to scrunch in your hand. Examples include food wrappers, bread bags, biscuit trays etc.)

How to purchase a blue glass recycling crate

If you require a new crate this can be purchased over the counter at our customer services centre in Nelson. 

Please don’t put soft plastics in your kerbside recycling bin as this can’t be processed by our sorting equipment.

For glass recycling please note:

• Only official blue glass crates will be collected. No other containers will be collected.
• Broken glass will not be collected. 
• Overfilled blue glass crates will not be collected. Crates should be filled no higher than the lip of the crate, contents flush with the top.
• When the crates are overfilled the bottles can fall and break, risking injury to our collection team and others.
• The weight of the container must not exceed 14kg.

Learn more about the Packaging Forum’s soft plastic collection trial.

Learn about Reducing Waste at Events.