New One-man Rubbish Trucks

From Monday (6 August), our rubbish collection service will change.

Contractor Envirowaste Services Limited (ESL), which also collects your recycling, has taken over the rubbish collection contract and will use specially-designed, one-person operated trucks - similar to its recycling trucks - to collect rubbish.

The Council's CitiOperations Manager, Mike Mendonēa, says the changes will mean a safer and cheaper service.

"Under the old arrangement, one or two 'runners' would run alongside the truck or ride on the back, and then load rubbish into the back of the truck.

"Under the new arrangement, the truck driver will also collect the rubbish bags and we have deliberately slowed down the vehicles so they are safer."

Here are some of the changes you might notice:

• The trucks will look different. There will be an interim period of a few weeks where ESL uses existing trucks before the new ones are on the road.

• Rubbish might get picked up a bit later than usual to start with, but it will still be collected on the usual day. So as the new drivers get used to their runs, we ask you to please be patient until they get into the rhythm of things.

• Trucks will drive slower. We'll try to minimise any traffic disruptions - but motorists are asked to be patient.

• In most suburban areas, the operators have strict instructions not to start before 8.00am (there are a few busy streets where the contractor is required to start early - but these are a tiny minority).

 

"You should still put your bags out for collection as close as possible to, but no later than, 8.00am on collection day, and not before 7.00pm the previous day," says Mike.

As well as being safer, it is estimated the new service will save the Council $200,000 every year.

If you want to find out more about the new rubbish collection service and how it might affect you, phone us on (04) 499 4444 or visit:

Rubbish and Recycling - Collection Days

• Wellingtonians place over 1.5 million rubbish bags out for collection each year.

• On average, collectors on the new trucks will walk 52 kilometres a week to collect our rubbish bags.

• Collection trucks routes and times will be tracked by GPS so our Contact Centre will know where they are, where they have been and what remains to be collected.

• The Council still provides a 'back door' rubbish collection service to 137 properties enrolled in the scheme:

 

Rubbish - Backdoor Collection