New wheelie bins on the way to households

Auckland City residents will get their new petite wheelie bins over the next three weeks.

The city council has halved the size of the bins, from the old 240-litre green monster to a 120-litre model.

From July 1, the new red-topped bins will be the only ones collected.

For those who doubt they can reduce their rubbish, the council staged a demonstration at the Constellation Drive transfer station on the North Shore yesterday.

Two "rubbish doctors" rifled through the contents of a 240-litre bin and picked out recyclables until the pile was halved.

The aim of the little bins is to halve the amount of household rubbish going to landfills by 2003.

Auckland produces 380,000 tonnes of rubbish a year - enough to fill a rugby field five storeys high every month.

Rubbish collection days are also changing. Details on this and recycling will be attached to the new bins.

Information is also available at the Auckland City website or by phoning the council at 379-1350.