Todd Talks with Todd Muller National MP

One of the hottest topics locally over the last month has been the new kerbside rubbish collection services implemented by Tauranga City Council and the Western Bay District Council.

At the same time, we have also had the closure of the Maleme Street refuse station.

Social media platforms have provided outlets for many of us to share our views, and I've seen a wide variety of opinions expressed.

Some people are concerned about the reduced bin sizes and collection frequencies. Others are confused about what days to put which bins out and what they can put in them. Others are pleased with the new system and helpfully provide advice to those who are trying to make sense of all the changes.

My family, like others, struggled to fit all of our waste in the smaller bin that is now only emptied fortnightly, so we accepted an offer of help from our friend Juliet Dale, who runs The Great Eco Journey sustainability education workshops.

We've now got a workable system that enables our household of five to keep within the new rubbish limits.

But as a city we are still lacking in recycling opportunities for soft plastics, which are not permitted in the new council kerbside collections. Bethlehem and Whakatāne are the only locations for soft plastic recycling, which is totally impractical for the vast majority of us in the Western Bay of Plenty.

I have written to the CEO of Foodstuffs and the managing director of Woolworths New Zealand, asking them to encourage their local store owners to set up additional soft plastic recycling options. When I meet with the TCC commissioners next month, I will also raise this concern with them.