Glass recycling collections back on for Hamilton from Monday

Crates with plastics, tins and cans mixed with glass will not be emptied. Photo / Hamilton City Council

Glass kerbside collections are set to resume from Monday 20 April following a three-week break due to safety concerns over the Covid-19 outbreak. Rinsed glass jars and bottles placed in green recycling crates and put out on collection day will now be emptied and recycled.

Hamilton residents are asked to place only glass recycling in their crates to ensure rubbish collectors can empty the contents directly into the recycling part of the truck without having to sort items by hand. Crates with plastics, tins and cans mixed with glass will not be emptied.

Infrastructure Operations Manager Eeva-Liisa Wright says the lockdown has presented some challenges to the way the kerbside service is delivered but with the right adjustments and safety precautions in place glass recycling collections can safely resume from next week.

"We've been working alongside our contractor Waste Management to come up with a solution that will allow Hamiltonians to recycle glass while keeping our staff and the wider community safe, which is our main priority at this time," says Mrs Wright.

Mrs Wright says she is extremely grateful to Hamiltonians for proactively stockpiling their glass over the last few weeks.

"We have heard reports that many residents have been patiently stockpiling their glass recycling items during the lockdown and are now running out of room to do so.

"Glass recycling accounts for 75 per cent of our weekly crate collections, so it's important we restart glass collections before lockdown restrictions are eased so we don't overwhelm our rubbish collectors and the refuse transfer station with excess quantities.

"We are now in a position where our contractor can resume this work safely."

Kerbside collections during Covid-19 lockdown

Rubbish bags will continue to be collected as normal. Paper and cardboard will also be collected as normal but sent to landfill.

Glass recycling will be collected. Please remove lids and place rinsed glass bottles and jars in your green recycling crate. Overfilled crates will not be emptied due to health and safety concerns.

Crates will also not be emptied if glass is mixed with tins, cans or plastic. Broken glass should be safely wrapped to remove sharp edges and minimise cuts to the rubbish collectors and then placed in rubbish bags.

Recycling collections for plastics 1-2, tins and cans have stopped due to safety concerns over Covid-19 being spread to staff sorting recyclables by hand.

Please continue to reduce your waste or pop your plastics, tins and cans in your black rubbish bags to go to landfill, the council says.

The Refuse Transfer Station and Recycling Centre on Lincoln St and the Hamilton Organic Centre remain closed to the public.