Northland Waste saves Far North recycling with new kerbside service

Northland Waste offers flexible payment options – from annual payments to monthly direct debits. Phone / Michael Cunningham

Far North households have been offered a lifeline for kerbside recycling, with Northland Waste stepping in to fill the gap.

Last month the company previously responsible for the service, Waste Management NZ, announced it would be ending kerbside recycling for residents in Kerikeri, Paihia, Haruru and Kawakawa.

Northland Waste has stepped in and said the service was designed with both community and convenience in mind and offers households the opportunity to continue recycling easily and affordably.

“When we heard the previous service was coming to an end, we knew it was important someone stepped in,” said Andrew Sclater of Northland Waste.

“We’ve always worked hard to support the communities we’re part of and this felt like the right thing to do. It’s not a council requirement, and there’s no external funding – we simply wanted to ensure people still had a way to recycle.”

The new service is not council-funded or part of any contracted service – it’s a voluntary initiative driven by local need.

He added that launching a new kerbside recycling service with limited lead time had been a significant undertaking and they have worked hard to ensure the rollout was as smooth and seamless as possible.

“Affordability was a big focus for us.”

“We’ve worked hard to keep the cost down, with weekly crate collections starting from just $1.75 per week.”

Residents can subscribe to the service online, at northlandwaste.co.nz, and activate their existing crate for collection.

“We’re all about reducing, reusing, and recycling. So, if you already have a crate in use, we can repurpose it for your new service. It can get a fresh new glow”.

The new service offers flexible payment options – from annual payments to monthly direct debits.

“We’re not doing this for headlines, we’re doing it because it matters, and we want to support local.”

“If everyone does their bit, together we can make a real difference.”

In a statement, the Far North District Council said it was a significant win for the community.

“With the replacement service mobilising quickly to ensure minimal disruption to residents. Northland Waste, which is locally owned and operated, already provides a kerbside recycle collection service in the upper Far North.”

Additionally, council does provide a network of 16 refuse transfer stations and 11 community recycling centres, which will continue to be available and free to use for most recycling materials. The only exception is coloured PET (#1) plastics, which can no longer be recycled and must be dropped at centres accepting landfill waste. These plastics will incur the same charges as other landfill.

What you can recycle in the new service:

Glass bottles and jars

Clean tins and cans (aluminium and steel)

Plastic containers (#1 clear only, #2, and #5) – with lids, pumps, and triggers removed

Paper and cardboard – including newspapers, cereal boxes, and office paper (with food residue removed)

All collected recyclables are sent to recognised sorting facilities, helping ensure they are properly processed and reused – rather than ending up in landfill.