Recycling in the inner city isn’t easy - especially if you live in an apartment building that has more than 10 units and was built before 2020.

From 2021, the Council has required multi-unit residential buildings to have a rubbish area where general rubbish bins and recycling bins could be located. But older buildings missed out and if that building has no spare space or a car park area, then enabling recycling becomes challenging.

And the other wrinkle is that residents of inner-city apartment buildings with 10+ units cannot use the Council’s kerbside recycling services.

One final barrier is that, even if an apartment building does have the space, some body corporates might decide the cost of paying waste management companies to empty the bins is too much.

What recycling options are available?

There are various places around the inner-city that have some recycling options. For example:

• Bunnings Tory Street - batteries, potted plants containers

• Chaffers New World - soft plastics, spectacles, bottle tops (plastic and metal)

• Kaicycle Farm - for composting

• Composing in some community gardens in the nearby area

But the best way to find the recycling options near you is to go to this page on the Sustainability Trust’s website.
Here you’ll find this ‘Circular Wellington Map’ which is updated regularly.