Let’s get Recycling!
Yellow bin collection
All eligible properties are issued with a yellow lid mobile bin for the collection of recycling by their local Council. If you have recently built a property, you may need to contact your respective council to arrange your kerbside bins.
Each Council has a different collection time, frequency, bin size and may not accept the same acceptable items.
Handy Tips!
- If you are unsure of your bin day, please look outside your street to see if others have put their bin out. Or head to our bin collection page and use the rubbish collection maps by using your address to search what your bin rotation is.
If it’s windy outside and your bin is barely filled, in order to avoid the bin toppling over and spilling its contents, you might want to consider waiting until it is sufficiently filled for collection.
Invercargill City Council
Collection Type: Commingled Recycling
Frequency: Fortnightly
Collection Time: From 7:00am
Put bin out: Before 7:00am
Bin Size: 240 Litres
Southland District Council
Collection Type: Commingled Recycling
Frequency: Fortnightly
Collection Time: Varies
Put bin out: Night before
Bin Size: 240 Litres
Gore District Council
Collection Type: Glass recycling only
Frequency: Every 4th week
Collection Time Business area: From 6:00am
Collection Time Residential area: From 7:00am
Put bin out Business area: From 6:00am
Put bin out Residential area: From 7:00am
Bin Size: 240 Litres
useful information
In March 2023 the Government announced that for the very first time, there would be a consistent recycling service across the country.
Having standardised recycling rules will make it easier for people to use our kerbside services and get recycling right.
Items no longer accepted in the yellow bin:
- Aluminium foil or trays
- Aerosols (like fly spray or spray deodorant)
- Lids
- Small plastics or papers – For containers, please nothing smaller than a hummus pottle, and when it comes to paper – nothing smaller than a Post-It note.
- Large plastics or metal cans – Anything over 4 litres such as large water dispensers, or large olive oil tins.
- Plastics 3, 4, 6, and 7 – look for the triangle on a plastic container to see what type it is.
For more information on the national standardisation programme, see the Ministry for Environment.
Please note that kerbside standardisation does not apply to Gore District Council as they do not have recycling services currently in place.
Kerbside recycling is Southland is collected by WasteCo and then received by the team at Recycle South. Once the kerbside recycling is brought to the Recycle South recycling plant in Invercargill it is sorted and put into bales of each type of material. As many recyclable items as logistically possible are then sold – items that would usually be heading for landfill!
There are some items that cannot be put in your yellow kerbside bin but are accepted by Recycle South. Check out their website to see what can be dropped off to their recycling plant in Invercargill.
Here are a few things you can do to take your recycling to the next level!
- Wash but don’t squash your recycling
- Remove lids, tops & caps
- Flatten boxes
- No food-contaminated items please
We do not empty your recycling bin if:
- It has been put out at the wrong time (too late) or was placed incorrectly.
- It was not your scheduled collection day. Check your collection day here.
- The bin was overfull (open lid) or was too heavy to empty.
- It contained non-permitted items (contamination). See what cannot go in the yellow recycle bin.
Check your bin if it has been tagged due to contamination.
If you have met the collection requirements and your recycling was missed, please report the incident to your local Council.
- Gore District Council
- Invercargill City Council
- Southland District Council
If we missed collecting your whole street, immediately call your local Council and report the missed collection.
To make things easier to remember what can go in your recycling bin and how to prepare it we have two stickers to go on your recycling bin – one for the front and one for the inside of your bin. We also have clips for your yellow bin.
You can collect these from reception at Invercargill City Council or Southland District Council.
We have put together a guide on how to apply the stickers to your bin.
Here is the bin clip installation guide and video. More information on bin clips can be found in the FAQ page.
What goes in your yellow kerbside recycling?
Check our quick guide below or Try our handy search function
Yes Please!
Take off the lids, rinse out your dirty items, and put them out for recycling.
Plastic containers numbers 1, 2 & 5
Glass bottles and jars
Steel, aluminium, and tin cans
Advertising mail and envelopes
Newspapers and magazines
Paper and cardboard packaging
No Thank You!
No dead animals, no green waste, no building waste. Remember recycling is hand sorted!
Plastic bags (full or empty)
Food scraps
Clothing, shoes and bedding
Hazardous waste, chemicals and empty aerosol cans
All types of batteries
Nappies
Polystyrene
Cookware, pyrex, window mirror and drinking glass
Electronic and electrical items
Medical waste
Garden waste
Gas bottles and pressurised canisters
Transfer Stations And Recycling Centres
Southland has a variety of waste facilities ranging from recycling centres where people can dop off specific recyclables to Waste Transfer Stations that accept household and commercial rubbish.
Items not acceptable at our transfer stations or recycling centres:
Asbestos
Dangerous goods such as; flammable liquids, flammable solids, poisons, pool chemicals and gas bottles
Explosives and fireworks
Agricultural residues or chemicals
Scrap motor cars
Medical waste of any nature
Firearms
Radioactive materials
Fees and Charges
Each council have different fees and charges for their transfer stations. Please click on the links below to find out more.
Invercargill City Council
Refer to: Fees & Charges | Invercargill City Council (icc.govt.nz)
Southland District Council
Refer to: Fees and charges | Southland District Council (southlanddc.govt.nz)
Gore District Council
Refer to: Fees & Charges – Gore District Council (goredc.govt.nz)
Summer Hours (1 Oct – 31 Mar):
Mon, Wed, Fri: 2pm-4pm
Sat: 11pm-2pm
Sun: 10am-12:30pm
Winter Hours (1 Apr – 30 Sep):
Mon, Wed, Fri: 2pm-4pm
Sat: 11pm-2pm
Sun: 10am-12:30pm
Accepts – Rubbish.
Charges apply for rubbish disposal.
Summer Hours (1 Oct – 31 Mar):
Mon-Sat: 10:30am-5pm
Sun: 12pm-5pm
Winter Hours (1 Apr – 30 Sep):
Mon-Fri: 10:30am-5pm
Sat: 10:30am-4pm
Sun: 12pm-4pm
Accepts – Rubbish. Charges apply for rubbish disposal.
Summer Hours (1 Oct – 31 Mar):
Mon-Sat: 8am-6pm
Sun: 9am-6pm
Winter Hours (1 Apr – 30 Sep):
Mon-Sat: 8am-5:30pm
Sun: 9am-5:30pm
Accepts – Reusable items, Recycling, Rubbish. Charges apply for rubbish disposal.
Summer Hours (1 Oct – 31 Mar):
Thu: 4pm-5:30pm
Sun: 3:30pm-5:30pm
Winter Hours (1 Apr – 30 Sep):
Thu: 4pm-5:30pm
Sun: 3:30pm-5:30pm
Accepts – Reusable items, Recycling, Rubbish. Charges apply for rubbish disposal.
Summer Hours (1 Oct – 31 Mar):
Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun: 10am-12pm
Thu (evening): 6pm-8pm
Winter Hours (1 Apr – 30 Sep):
Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun: 10am-12pm
Accepts – Reusable items, Recycling, Rubbish. Charges apply for rubbish disposal.
Summer Hours (1 Oct – 31 Mar):
Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat: 11am-1pm & 3pm-5pm
Sun: 3pm-5pm
Winter Hours (1 Apr – 30 Sep):
Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat: 11am-1pm & 3pm-5pm
Sun: 3pm-5pm
Accepts – Reusable items, Recycling, Rubbish. Charges apply for rubbish disposal.
Hours:
Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri: 9:30am-4:30pm
Sat: 9:30am-12:30pm
Accepts – Rubbish, Food waste, Recyclables, Second-hand goods.
Summer Hours (1 Oct – 31 Mar):
Mon-Sun: 2pm-6pm
Winter Hours (1 Apr – 30 Sep):
Mon-Sun: 2pm-4pm
Accepts – Reusable items, Recycling, Rubbish. Charges apply for rubbish disposal.
Summer Hours (1 Oct – 31 Mar):
Mon, Wed: 2pm-5:30pm
Fri: 12pm-5:30pm
Sat: 11am-5pm
Sun: 1pm-5pm
Winter Hours (1 Apr – 30 Sep):
Mon, Wed: 2pm-5:30pm
Fri: 12pm-5:30pm
Sat: 1pm-5pm
Sun: 2pm-5pm
Accepts – Reusable items, Recycling, Rubbish. Charges apply for rubbish disposal.
Summer Hours (1 Oct – 31 Mar):
Wed, Fri: 4pm-6pm
Thu: 6pm-7pm
Sat, Sun: 1:30pm-5pm
Winter Hours (1 Apr – 30 Sep):
Wed, Fri: 3pm-5pm
Sat, Sun: 1:30pm-5pm
Accepts – Reusable items, Recycling, Rubbish. Charges apply for rubbish disposal.
Accepts – Recycling (FREE)
Open 24/7
Accepts – Recycling (FREE)
Open 24/7
Accepts – Recycling (FREE)
Open 24/7
Accepts – Recycling (FREE)
Open 24/7
Accepts – Recycling (FREE)
Open 24/7
Accepts – Recycling (FREE)
Open 24/7
Accepts – Recycling (FREE)
Open 24/7
Accepts – Recycling (FREE)
Open 24/7
Accepts – Recycling (FREE)
Open 24/7
Accepts – Recycling (FREE)
Open 24/7
Accepts – Recycling (FREE)
Open 24/7
Accepts – Recycling (FREE)
Open 24/7
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