Meet Mount Maunganui's summer recycling ambassadors

Hope Lawsen, 26, is a summer recycling ambassador. Photo / George Novak

If you put a glass bottle into where the aluminium cans are supposed to go, Hope Lawsen will know all about it.

The 26-year-old is a recycling ambassador and is being stationed at litter hotspots around the Mount this summer to advise the public how to put their litter in the right place.

Lawsen was one of many ambassadors who hoped to educate residents, cruise ship passengers and other summer tourists about the importance of using rubbish and recycling bins, and which items can be placed in which bins.

Lawsen said there were 10 new smart technology waste and recycling bins installed at Mount Maunganui in early December to help tackle overflowing litter bins during the busy summer period.

"The smart bins can sense when the bin is three-quarters full and send a message to the council to say they need emptying," she said.

"All of the bins used to be for landfill but now people can recycle their rubbish."

The summer recycling ambassador programme is run by the Tauranga City Council and Keep Tauranga Beautiful.

Tauranga City Council's acting manager for resource recovery and waste, Cathy Davidson, said the ambassadors will help to keep the contamination of the recycling bins at a minimum, meaning more items could be recycled.

"The recycling ambassadors will also be conducting a survey about people's attitudes and understanding of recycling, which will be very useful for future decisions about public place recycling bins," Davidson said.

The Summer Recycling Ambassador programme started on Boxing Day and will continue until January 8 to cover the peak visitor period and cruise ship schedules.

'We hope this face-to-face engagement will result in the streets of Mount Maunganui having a lot less litter this year," Davidson said.