Rubbish, recycling and food scraps collections for apartments and units

If you live in a multi-unit development, such as a gated community, retirement village or an apartment building, you can receive collections of food scraps, rubbish, recycling and inorganic materials.

To find out more about the services we can provide to apartments and units, or to apply for an exemption, property managers or body corporates can register with us for a site assessment.

Complete the Make an enquiry online form and provide the following information:

• address of the multi-unit development
• number of units
• contact name and position (for example, property manager, building manager or developer)
• phone number
• email address
• preferred contact method
• other information relevant to the property.

We will contact you and arrange a site assessment.

During assessment we check:

• there is enough room within the property boundary to store bins within easy access to each dwelling
• how much waste is being generated and how often it needs to be collected
• the site has enough space on the berm  The grass area between the road and the footpath or property boundary. Also refers to grass area between water table/drain and fence/property boundary. Property owners are typically responsible for maintaining the berm in front of their property. Also known as the verge. to set out individual or communal bins
• whether a collection vehicle can safely enter and exit the site if the development is on a private lane or driveway.

We assess sites for rubbish, recycling and food scraps services separately. Properties will only receive a targeted rates exemption for the services we cannot provide.

For example, a site may not have room for the refuse and recycling service bins but is still able to have a food scraps service using the individual 23 litre bins. In cases like this, the properties will only be exempt from the refuse and recycling charges, but not the food scraps targeted rate.

• Large residential complexes with 10 or more units.
• Sites that do not pass a site assessment for a collection service.
• The body corporate, property manager, building manager or developer has applied on behalf of the development.
• There is a resource consent condition for the development that says the site must receive rubbish and recycling services from a private waste collection contractor (This does not apply to the food scraps service).

A base rate will still be charged to cover regional waste initiatives, including inorganic collections.

If the application for exemption is approved, the rates charges will be removed from the following 1 July.