It seems a new trend has arrived, not a typical trend like aviator glasses,  leather jackets or Justin Beiber..This trend is not so obvious, is smellier than most and one would have to be desperate…This trend is also been thrashed in New York City..Park Avenue to be exact. Any guesses?Bet you weren’t thinking Skip Bins (for all those who have seen any episode of SATC - you know Park Avenue isn’t exactly full of skip bins). Due to the major heat wave, the apartment dwelling people of New York City are desperate for some refuge from the heat so they are converting the skip bins into pools, quite a clever idea really (as long as the bins are clean of course!)Would Aucklander’s do the same in a heat wave? Or would we not want to be swimming around where last weeks garbage was housed for who knows how long?However, if you are looking for a skip bin for the more conventional purpose of throwing your rubbish away, have a look at bookabin. We have some great rates - customers in postcode 1027, Point England, Panmure, Meadowbank, Mt Wellington, Glen Innes, St Johns and Remuera have been booking a lot of bins….let it continue!

• Christchurch residents are making a big difference with their new 3 bin system. In the first year an additional 12,000 tons of recycled material was collected in the new yellow recycling bins, which are complemented with green organic bins and a red bin for rubbish. Contamination is less than 3% - one of the lowest rates in Australasia. This enthusiasm has lead to a problem with over full bins, council is no longer collecting bins that do not have closed lids, and stickering them to let residents know why.
• Greenfingers has been appointed to take over operation and management of the Masterton District Councils rubbish and recycling contract, and composting services.
• Earlier this year the Porirua City Council set up waste minimization systems for both the Festival of Elements and Creekfeast. Porirua’s “Mana Community Enterprises” provided recycling services alongside Wellington City Councils “Kai to Compost” Scheme. This collaborative approach and high level of community involvement meant 320kg of recycling and 280kg of compost was collected. Careful monitoring identified low levels of contamination.
• Clutha District Council wheelie bin collection truck caught fire recently, after ashes were disposed of in a wheelie bin. The council is continuing to publicise this ongoing Health and Safety issue.
• The Auckland Councils are jointly promoting “Ecobiz”. The subsidised business partnership program helps businesses create savings through smart, simple practices that improve their environmental performance. These practices involve reducing solid waste, energy and water usage and enhancing materials efficiency. Seminars are offered to business during the year on related topics, there are two coming up in September. If you are interested in finding out more, visit the Waitakere City Council website for more information.

There have been recent talks of a proposal for every household in Auckland to have a bin each for rubbish, recycling and compost.  These would be collected from your kerb in an attempt to reduce waste while also saving money. 

Read more -http://www.nzherald.co.nz/waste-management/news/article.cfm?c_id=361&objectid=10636516

Bookabin provides a way for home owners to hire a skip bin for a short period of time. It can also be used by businesses who would rather not sign a longer term contract with a skip company, and just order a bin when they need it.

If you are a business and you want to remove waste, think first and foremost about recycling what you can before dumping the rest in a skip. Check out the Renew Waste Exchange to give you an idea of how to get rid of some of that junk in a positive way, visit http://www.renew.org.nz/. Renew Waste Exchange is a business to business transfer of unwanted materials, you can specify what you have available and produce a listing for others who may be looking for it. You can also search for materials that you may require.

Once you have recycled as much as you can, order your bin efficiently through the bookabin site, just enter your postcode to get a quote matching the requirements you have.

E Waste and old refrigeration units are unable to be placed in a skip bin, so the best thing to do with this type of waste is to Recycle it. Fisher and Paykel have introduced a new initiative to help encourage recycling.

Members of the public are invited to drop off old, broken or inefficient appliances which are then broken down and recycled. The first 50 drop offs receive up to $150 off a new Fisher and Paykel Appliance. ANY brand of fridge, freezer, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, oven or microwave will be accepted. There is no cost to drop off appliances.

Near the end of last year the Recycling Day held in Christchurch and Wellington collected 17 tons of appliances that may otherwise have ended up in a landfill.

There will be a further recycling day in Auckland on the 7th of March , so watch this space or go to www.sustainability.govt.nz for upcoming information regarding types of appliances accepted and the location for your event.

If you are in need of a skip bin for other waste visit www.bookabin.co.nz

eWaste is how electrical waste is commonly referred to these days.

eWaste is often able to be recycled, and to avoid overfilling our landfills and to show our environment a little love and respect, recycling is the most positive way to rid ourselves of our old equipment.

A great opportunity to dispose of your old PCs, computer peripherals, mobile phones and digital cameras through eDay on Saturday 12th September.

eDay, a free nationwide computer recycling event, is expected to divert over 1,000 tones of electronic waste (e-waste) from landfills and will enable the recovery of valuable materials such as gold, copper and aluminum so they can be reused. The drive-through event has extended from 32 regions last year to close to 40 regions in 2009. This ensures there is a drop off location close to you!

To find our more and see where your local drop off point is, visit the eDay website www.eday.org.nz

Recycling in Northland

Annually, New Zealanders create 8.7 million tonnes of rubbish. That’s an average of two tonnes per person of waste from all sources. The average Westerner produces 500 kg of “municipal waste” a year (which seems about right, as a proxy for household waste - a 10 kg bag each week). In a month, New Zealand’s rubbish would cover a rugby field and pile it 30 stories high. To ensure that the land of the Long White Cloud is not completely covered in waste, we really need to be more proactive with our recycling.

Here’s a great example from our friends in Northland:

Accessories crafted from recycled materials are growing in popularity as consumers continue to seek out more environmentally friendly products. Plastic supermarket bags, old TV wire and milk bottles are among items being refashioned by Northland artists into high-fashion jewellery. The novel jewellery includes recycled resin pendants and collector-teaspoon necklaces and can be found selling in the Tuatara Design Store in Whangarei.

Check out their website: www.tuataradesignstore.co.nz

Last year the Government passed a new legislation governing waste disposal activities. The Waste Minimisation Act 2008 imposes a $10.00 plus GST levy on every ton of refuse disposed into a landfill. This legislation came into effect on July 1st this year.

The purpose of the levy as outline in the act is to:

• Raise revenue for promoting and achieving waste minimisation
• Increase the cost of waste disposal to recognize that it imposes a cost on the environment, society and economy

(If you wish to find out more about the levy visit www.mfe.govt.nz)

Once this levy is actioned you may find that some suppliers will increase their prices slightly, to absorb this cost. One way to reduce the costs related to waste disposal is to increase your recycling. Take a good look at the waste you have to dispose of and work out which parts can be reused, you may be surprised at the many options available.

Once you decide on the waste that cannot be recycled, take a look at the skip bin prices available at www.bookabin.co.nz.

Using a variety of your local suppliers the site will calculate your requirements to present you with the best price for a skip that matches what you need, when you need it.

Earlier this year the Auckland City Council started a trial of recycling in the central business district. Bins have been placed at 22 sites throughout the city, mainly at transport gateways like the Auckland Ferry Terminal and Britomart.

This is supporting the Ministry for the Environment’s campaign - Love New Zealand - to encourage recycling in public places.

However, if you are not from Auckland or can not get into the CBD, why not order a bin from BOOKABIN, and this way the bin comes to you?!

Simply log onto www.bookabin.co.nz, you then enter your postcode, bin type, bin size and the dates you want it for. Bookabin will then generate a quote for you, if you like the quote (which you will) you can book the bin and sit back and wait for it to be delivered.

On July 1st a new act that came into effect, aimed at getting people in the Manawatu to recycle more. The Waste Management and Minimisation Act would leave the floor open for local community to come up with innovative recycling and waste reduction ideas.

Under the act, councils or residents who take rubbish to a landfill will be charged $10 per ton of rubbish on top of the regular dumping fee, meaning every $10 collected, $3.77 will be returned to the council. From that $3.77, the council can hold on to 50% with the other $1.89 going into a nationwide contestable fund.

District and regional councils can then apply for money from the fund and will be granted it if they can prove they have an innovative idea that will help reduce waste, this is encouraging for entrepreneurs with competitive ideas.

The council will be competing against other councils for funding so ideas would have to be sharp. Get your creative juices flowing and come up with some great ideas, try visiting:

http://www.reducerubbish.govt.nz/regional-pages/manawatu-wanganui.html