897 Packaging forum, response

2 February 2026

Request

I write in the hope that you can help me with some recycling data in regard to the bins that I think this funding was used for.  Lyn Mayes our Scheme Manager is preparing a report to the Packaging Forum Board and has asked that I request this from you.

Could you provide me with some data, feedback and possibly photos of the bins fairly urgently?

Response

Mackenzie District Council really hoped that having different bins to support and show people how and what to recycle would make a difference with the township litter, unfortunately recycling hasn’t been very successful due to the very large volumes of visitors staying and traveling through a small district.

Below is some of the challenges we face.

• Continually increasing visitor numbers have put huge pressures in townships including waste management.
• Our new Township Contractor, during peak visitor periods is contracted to complete 4 daily empties of our townships bins. During the last peak period of Christmas 2025 New Year 2026 it increased to 5 times daily and until 11.30pm.
• The contractor was collecting 65 bags per day in Lake Tekapo alone.
• The Tekapo Recovery park has 5 large skip bins allocated to township waste and on average the contractor fills 3.5 bins weekly. Over the last peak period 10 skip bins were filled, this impacting on the Recovery centre.
• Time and resource of the contractor to fully recycle all the recycling bins is not feasible but at the site of bins they inspect the recycling bin for contamination. Unfortunately, when the adjoining rubbish bins are full, people put rubbish in any bin including the recycling one.
• The rubbish that is being left includes full household bags, full bags from buses, camper and caravans and cars – see photo above.

When the contractor can recycle the bins, they find that food packaging that can be recycled is not cleaned prior to putting in bins which in turn contaminates clean recycling or glass bottles have food wrappers inside them which then makes them non-recyclable.

Above data shows an increase of 2 tonne in Tekapo for the peak summer period up to Dec

The contractor is looking for alternatives to reduce fly tipping and how they can reduce township rubbish e.g. large bins at township edges.

Council and the contractor would also be happy to work with you on further ideas.

If this is not the required information that you are looking for as we are aware you were requesting this quite urgently then we can undertake a broader search with a bit more information regarding what it is you are looking for.