Recycling – What can go into the Yellow Bin

What can be recycled in Christchurch depends on what the Council can sell.  That depends on what recyclers  can make out of our rubbish.   Markets change and with that, so does the stuff that can go into our yellow recycling bins.

ONLY the following can go into your yellow bin at this time (5th June 2020):

•     Clean, dry, loose (not bagged!) hard plastics – food containers and bottles labelled 1, 2 or 5 that are bigger than a small yoghurt container.
•     Clean, dry, loose tin cans (but please put tin lids in the red bin, and please do NOT squash the cans flat ).
•     Clean dry, topless glass bottles (tops go in the red bin)
•     Clean dry aluminium cans - please don't flatten the cans - keep them as can-like as you can!
•     Clean, dry, unscrunched paper, including newspaper.
•     Flattened Cardboard
• Nothing else!

Everything that you put into the yellow recycling  bin needs to be CLEAN and DRY.
Anything else needs to be put into your red bin or your green bin or taken elsewhere.  
The following is a list of common mistakes and options for disposing of them.


Please do NOT put any of these into your yellow bin:

Dirty, foodstained or greasy paper or cardboard (e.g. Pizza boxes).  
Put this stuff into the green bin or into your own compost heap or worm farm. 

Tetrapaks
Tetrapaks are used for longlife milk, fruit juice or nut milks) and milk cartons.  
Avoid buying them or if you must, then put them in the red bin.

Coffee cups 
Coffee cups cannot be recycled or composted in council collected rubbish. (Plant based biocups CAN be composted in your home compost heap).
Avoid using these where you can and carry a keep cup with you for coffee.  
When you can't avoid it, put these in the red bin 

Soft plastic
All soft plastic (like plastic bags, biscuit wrappers, biscuit trays) has to go into the red bin.
Avoid buying things packaged in plastic as much as possible and stop using single use plastic.

Find out more at this link - https://www.ccc.govt.nz/services/rubbish-and-recycling/