Are you worried about getting rid of your inorganic wastes?

Many Aucklanders struggle with getting rid of their household inorganic wastes.

Often many, especially those who have little respect for others leave their wastes on the roadside, prompting none other than the Mayor of the City Phil Goff to express his anguish and frustration on social media.

Mr Goff shared his frustration and anguish on his personal social media page on Wednesday, January 17 about a pile of inorganic waste that he had seen sometime last week on his way to work from home.

“I’ve had gutsful of those who think they can just dump their rubbish on the side of the road instead of using inorganic collections or taking their rubbish to a transfer station.

“They don’t give a damn about degrading our environment and putting the cost of picking up their rubbish on other ratepayers.

“Those on the rural fringes of the city and commercial premises are fed up with their properties being dump sites for the lazy and irresponsible,” Mr Goff commented.

Mayor further asserted his resolve to prosecute the alleged offenders.

“Last week I came across the worst example yet on my way to work.

“Barrel loads of used oil filters dumped on the Ardmore-Takinini Rd, spewing their contents on to the ground.

“The barrels are marked, and I have asked Council to take every effort to track down where they were sold to,” Mr Goff asserted.

The very next day after Mayor’s public outcry, the Auckland Council has issued a media release about the opening of booking for Auckland Council’s 2018 inorganic service.

Dumped inorganic waste photo posted by Auckland Mayor Phil Goff on his Facebook page expressing his anguish towards such activities (Picture: Mayor Phil Goof Facebook Page)

It’s not clear if the Council’s announcement was prompted by Mayor’s social media rage.

However, regardless of the reason, it is a timely reminder about a service that the Auckland Council has been offering so earnestly since the last three years and seemingly many in the community are not fully aware of.

Especially many in the new migrant community struggle to find the right source of information while they find their feet in the new country.

Bookings now open for Auckland Council’s 2018 inorganic service

Bookings are now open for Auckland Council’s 2018 inorganic service, which will start making collections in late February.

It’s easy to make a booking. Simply visit aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/inorganic and follow the steps. When you enter your address the booking tool will let you know when your collection week is, and you can go ahead and book.

You can also make a booking at any council service centre, or by calling 09 301 0101.

The council team will tell you your exact collection date closer to the time, by email, text or phone– if you no longer need the service, you can easily cancel.

About the service

This is the third year Auckland Council’s improved inorganic collection service will run. The service runs between February and December.

All Auckland households can book an annual inorganic collection of up to 1 cubic metre of material (roughly the size of one small trailer load).

Just before collection day, residents simply need to leave items for collection neatly stacked in an obvious place within the boundary of their property.

Councillor Penny Hulse, chair of the Environment and Community committee, says the improved inorganic collection service has helped increase the amount of recoverable materials and decrease the amount of waste sent to landfill.

“Since the service started in late 2015, we’ve diverted more than 3800 tonnes of recyclable items and materials that would have otherwise gone to landfill.

“With more than 80 community groups utilising and repurposing the materials being recovered from the collection, the inorganic service is truly helping create a circular environment for our waste in the Auckland region.”

Have items in good condition? Think about selling or donating first

Rather than store items for an annual collection, Auckland Council is encouraging residents to sell or donate their unwanted reusable items any time of the year.

“There other ways to pass these items on to new homes without having to wait for a collection in your area,” says Cr Hulse.

“There are groups and charities that take donations of items in good condition all year round. You could also consider selling items, or using a platform like Neighbourly to swap or give them away.”