Auckland Rubbish & Recycling

How to find your bin day in Auckland, what goes in each bin, and where to drop off everything else.

Most Auckland homes have a rubbish bin and a food scraps bin collected every week, and a recycling bin collected every two weeks. Here is how to find your collection day, what goes in each bin, and where to take everything else.

Auckland Council sets your collection day by address, and the lookup shows your next rubbish, food scraps and recycling dates. Recycling goes out every two weeks on the same day as your rubbish.

Find my collection day
Rubbish and food scraps every weekBoth go out on your collection day
Recycling every 2 weeksSame day as your rubbish, on Week 1 or Week 2. Your lookup result shows your next date.

Have your bins out before 7am on collection day, or the night before.

Which bin does it go in?

Red binRubbish · every week

Yes

  • General household rubbish
  • Lids from your recycling

No

  • Batteries
  • Gas bottles
  • Appliances
  • Vapes
Yellow binRecycling · every 2 weeks

Yes

  • Plastic bottles and containers marked 1, 2 or 5
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Steel, aluminium and tin cans
  • Paper, cardboard, newspapers and magazines
  • Advertising mail and envelopes
  • Egg cartons and cereal boxes

No

  • Lids (they go in the rubbish bin)
  • Soft plastics and plastic bags
  • Food scraps and garden waste
  • Batteries, gas bottles and electronics
  • Containers under 5cm wide, or 4 litres and over
  • Paper or card smaller than 10cm by 14cm
  • Clothing, nappies and polystyrene

Empty and rinse, put items in loose, and flatten cardboard. Some older recycling bins have a blue lid.

Green food scraps binFood scraps · every week

Yes

  • Fruit and vegetable scraps
  • Bread, pasta and rice
  • Dairy
  • Meat, fish and bones, including shellfish shells
  • Egg and nut shells
  • Coffee grounds and tea leaves
  • Solid fats and oils
  • Indoor cut flowers

No

  • Plastic bags or non-council liners
  • Food containers, even compostable ones
  • Cling film, waxed paper and foil
  • Tea and coffee bags
  • Nappies and pet waste
  • Garden waste
  • Liquids

Urban areas only. Line it with council liners, paper bags or newspaper.

Public holidays

If your collection day is on or after a public holiday, collection is one day later that week. City centre bag collections do not change.

Drop-off points

Wairau Zero Waste Hub

9 Porana Road, Wairau Valley

Saturdays 9am to 4pm, closed some public holidays

Reusable items in good conditionCall first for bulky itemsDirections

Papakura Transfer Station (private)

Inlet Road, Takanini

Phone 09 299 8153 for hours

Directions

Waiuku Zero Waste Community Recycling Centre

5 Hosking Place, Waiuku

Phone 09 235 8413 for hours

Directions

Good to know

Which week is my recycling?

Your recycling bin may have a label showing your week. If not, search your address on the council's collection day lookup or call 09 301 0101.

My bin wasn't collected. What now?

Report it to Auckland Council on 09 301 0101, but only after 4.30pm on collection day. If the contractor missed it, it is collected within one working day.

How do I get rid of big items?

Every area has a set inorganic collection week each year. Book on the council's inorganic collections website; bookings close 8 days before your area's week. Batteries are not taken.

What about the city centre?

The inner city centre uses council orange rubbish bags, collected at set evening or overnight times. These collections do not change on public holidays.

Bin rules and drop-off points from the Auckland Council website. Checked 22 October 2026.