Waipā District Council's recycling calendar to go digital in 2022

Waipā District Council's annual recycling calendars will be going digital in 2022 and be available via an online recycling collection day finder. Photo / Supplied

Waipā District Council's annual recycling calendars won't be delivered to each household anymore and instead will be available online in an effort to reduce waste and minimise cost.

Those who still prefer a physical copy can collect a 2022 recycling calendar in person at any Waipā District Council office or library.

Council's group manager service delivery lead Dawn Inglis says the annual calendar distribution programme delivers about 22,000 recycling calendars to every household in the district which can be costly.

"The cost to deliver last year's calendars was $31,920 across the 20 routes we have, which required a bespoke delivery service. We believe that many people are now comfortable with the service and we have a number of options for people to access the calendar waste-free, but we will also have hard copies for those who would like one."

Council's transportation team leader Jennifer Braithwaite says this was one area where the council could make an impact.

"Distributing these calendars means every year we generated 22,000 pieces of paper, which although we use recycled paper, is still another item that ends up needing to be processed. I'm so pleased that we've been able to move towards more digital options so we can join other councils in walking the talk."

The recycling routes won't be changing, the council will continue to do a regular monthly glass bin collection and fortnightly yellow bin collection. The only difference is that the physical calendar won't be delivered to each household.

Instead, residents can head to the council's collection day finder here to download their new recycling calendar or download the Antenno app to receive a recycling notification at 5pm on the day prior to collection sent directly to their mobile phones.

The Antenno notifications also identify which bin is to go out and what goes in that bin, along with a reminder to put the bin out with the logo facing the road so it can be collected without interruption.

Those who prefer a paper calendar can collect one in person at any council office or request a physical copy by emailing calendars@waipadc.govt.nz or by calling 0800 924 723. Council staff will distribute the calendars as requests come in but advised there may be some processing delays due to the Christmas shutdown.

Inglis says while the change would be an adjustment for some residents, she was encouraged by others who had already used and enjoyed the digital options.

"We currently have over 3500 residents who receive the recycling notifications via Antenno and we've had lots of positive feedback on social media from residents who use this system. Many comments we've received [online] about recycling are those tagging their friends and family to encourage downloading the app because it's so easy to use."

For more information about the recycling collection service in Waipā click here.