Alongside the Long Term Plan, Council consulted on and adopted the Waste Minimisation and Management Plan, which aims for Matamata-Piako to be zero waste by 2038.

As part of this commitment to reducing our waste, we consulted on changing the kerbside rubbish collection service (for those who receive it) to a wheelie bin for rubbish, a food scraps bin and recycling bins. This proposal received strong community support in 2021, with 87% of submitters supporting this change. This also aligns with the national changes currently being proposed by Ministry for the Environment for how rubbish is collected and processed across the country.

In September 2022 Waste Management NZ were awarded the contract for the next ten years starting in September 2023. The new service will include:

• A 25-litre residential food waste bin – collected weekly
• A 120-litre wheelie bin for rubbish – collected fortnightly
• Continued fortnightly kerbside collection of glass and recycling (same as the current service).

The new services, and changes to existing services such as different Kerbside collection schedules, will be communicated to our district’s residents, ratepayers and businesses well before the new contract begins.

Until 31 August 2023 Smart Environmental will continue to provide our solid waste services, as they currently exist.

Waste Management and Minimisation Plan

Long Term Plan

2020 submissions on rubbish and recycling