🇳🇿 Which bin goes out today? Check your address

Which Bin Goes Out Today? Every Kerbside Rubbish Collection in New Zealand

BinMinder reminds you which wheelie bin or bag goes out — rubbish, recycling, food scraps or garden waste — wherever you live in New Zealand.

In New Zealand, kerbside collection is organised by your city or district council, often delivered through contractors. Auckland Council, Wellington City Council and Christchurch City Council each run their own service, while some rural areas rely on private companies such as Waste Management NZ. Because every council sets its own schedules and rules, your collection day — and even which bins you have — depends on your address.

Most Kiwi households now use colour-lid wheelie bins: a red-lid bin for general rubbish (collected weekly in most centres), a yellow-lid bin for mixed recycling (usually fortnightly), and in Auckland a green-lid food scraps bin collected weekly after the 2023-2024 rollout. In other regions, a green-lid or green bin is for garden waste, usually an opt-in paid service. Some smaller districts still use official prepaid rubbish bags or crates for glass instead of wheelie bins.

Collection days can shift around public holidays, and councils like Auckland also run an annual inorganic collection for bulky items. If your bin is missed, overflowing or damaged, you report it to your council — and anything too big for the kerb goes to the local transfer station, what most of us just call the tip. BinMinder keeps track of your address-specific schedule so the right bin is always out on time.

• Bins go out the night before or by 7am on collection day — contractors start early and won't come back for a late bin.
• Public holidays often shift the whole week's schedule by a day; check your council's holiday calendar rather than assuming your usual day.
• Recycling rules changed nationally in 2024 — only plastics 1, 2 and 5 are accepted at the kerb, and lids must come off bottles. Wrong items can mean a red tag and a rejected bin.
• If you miss the inorganic collection window in Auckland, don't leave bulky items on the berm — book the next one or take them to a transfer station to avoid an illegal dumping fine.

Who actually collects my bins in New Zealand?

Your city or district council is responsible, but the trucks are usually run by contractors on their behalf. In some rural or small-town areas without a council service, you arrange and pay a private company like Waste Management NZ directly.

What do the different wheelie bin lid colours mean?

In most centres: red for general rubbish (weekly), yellow for mixed recycling (fortnightly), and green for either food scraps (Auckland, weekly) or garden waste (many other regions). Some districts differ, so check your council's website or your BinMinder schedule.

My council still uses rubbish bags — how does that work?

Some districts haven't moved to wheelie bins for rubbish. You buy official prepaid council bags from supermarkets or dairies, and only those bags are collected from the kerb. Recycling may still come in a wheelie bin or crate alongside them.

What is the inorganic collection?

Auckland Council's annual kerbside pickup for bulky household items — furniture, whiteware, bikes and other things too big for the red bin. You book a slot, then place items on your property near the kerb during your collection week.

Everything you need for bin day