For most it will mean more bins on the kerb, but the goal is less waste in landfills under Auckland Council's newly adopted Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP).
Each year, each Aucklander puts out 160kg of rubbish and, overall, households and businesses send almost 1.2 million tonnes of waste
to landfill.
Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse says the new waste plan, which will be introduced over the next few years, aims to reduce the volume of material going to landfill and was well-supported by public submissions.
"About 80 per cent of submitters supported the target of a 30 per cent reduction in domestic kerbside waste sent to landfill by 2018."
The biggest change is to kerbside waste collections, which will be extended to user-pays across the region. Households choose the size of their wheelie bin - from 60 to 240 litres - and how often they put it out for collection. The charge is per lift, not by the weight of the bin.
The rates-funded recycling collection will be retained, with households again having a choice of bin size. Rural areas and Hauraki Gulf islands will have the option of a pre-paid waste bag.
