Electronic and hazardous waste recycling and safe disposal

Some waste causes greater environmental harm if sent to landfill, and should be recycled if possible, or disposed of carefully. We're doing our best to appropriately dispose of or recycle these waste materials, to reduce the potential environmental harm they may cause.

You can help by disposing of them as outlined below.

Our e-waste service at Ōtaki is suspended until further notice due to repeated vandalism and theft. You can drop your e-waste at the Otaihanga e-waste facility instead. The Ōtaki transfer station is still operating.

Waste	Where (Opening hours)	Cost
E-waste
TVs – all CRT and flat screens	Otaihanga	See Rubbish disposal charges for the fee.
Flat panel computer screens	Otaihanga	No charge.
CRT computer monitors	Otaihanga	See Rubbish disposal charges for the fee
Batteries (household, power tool)	Otaihanga Lithium ion batteries can cause fires during transport and in landfill if disposed of with your general waste.	No charge.
Batteries (car batteries)	Otaihanga	No charge.
Stoves and dishwashers	Otaihanga	See Rubbish disposal charges for the fee.
Fridges/freezers	Otaihanga	See Rubbish disposal charges for the fee. This charge covers degassing and recycling.
Fluorescent light bulbs	Drop off at Otaihanga.	No charge.
mobile phones cordless phones computer screens gaming consoles projectors laptops/Chromebooks/ tablets computers keyboards, mice, etc cameras microwaves small kitchen appliances vacuum cleaners water blasters chargers adapters electrical wire, cables and cords power tools heat pumps dehumidifiers heaters, fans audio systems hair-styling appliances VCR and DVD players digital clocks and radios services, modems and routers telecommunications infrastructure PC parts (circuit boards/motherboards/ RAM/hard drives/PS	Drop off in the Recycling for Charity e-waste containers at Otaihanga and Ōtaki. Note: you can contact Recycling for Charity for bulk collection if you have extra-large items, or a large quantity.	No charge.
Scrap metal	Otaihanga and Ōtaki	Ōtaki: no charge Otaihanga: gate fees apply
Tyres (car, truck and tractor)	Otaihanga and Ōtaki Note: From September 2024, registered Tyrewise partners will accept up to five tyres for free when they replace those tyres.	See Rubbish disposal charges for the fee.
Gas bottles	Otaihanga and Ōtaki	See Rubbish disposal charges for the fee.
Child car seats	Otaihanga	See Rubbish disposal charges for the fee.
Waste oil	Otaihanga and Ōtaki	See Rubbish disposal charges for the fee.
Paint	Reuse: Drop off unwanted water-based paint to the Otaihanga Resource Recovery Facility, at the site’s Re-use Shop (see Locations for Re-use Shop opening hours). The paint must be inspected by the shop operator. Paint drop-off isn’t accepted outside the Reuse Shop’s opening hours. Rusty or unreadable containers are not accepted. The paint must be reusable. Commercial volumes not accepted. Recycle: Ask your retailer if you can return your paint and paint containers. They will often take back containers and paint from their own brand for free and other brands for a small fee of $0.25 per litre. Resene PaintWise Dulux Take Back Service Disposal options: Never pour unwanted paint down household or stormwater drains. Recycle part tins and packaging back through the supplier wherever possible (see options above). Unwanted water-based paints can be treated with Waste Paint Hardener or similar. This product turns the liquid paint into a solid mass, which can then be disposed of responsibly in the refuse. Pails, once emptied, can be recycled. Do not rinse pails into stormwater drains. Unwanted solvent-based paints can be disposed of by pouring the excess onto an absorbent material such as kitty litter, sawdust or shavings, cardboard or shredded paper. Allow to dry before disposing of in the rubbish. The can, once emptied and dry, can be placed in household recycling bins (leave the lid off).
Wood	A wood recycling centre run by Zero Waste Ōtaki is open for drop off and sales at 1 Riverbank Road next to the Ōtaki Resource Recovery Centre: 9.30–10.30am every Wednesday 9.30am–12pm on the last Sunday of every month Drop-off and purchase of wood suitable for house or garden projects, up-cycling or firewood is available – no MDF or particle board is accepted. Other times and bulk drop offs/purchases are by arrangement, email Zero Waste Ōtaki	No charge.

Updated 19 September 2024