Rubbish collection in North Dunedin
In North Dunedin, Monday is the regular rubbish collection day. Please use Dunedin City Council (DCC) rubbish bags, which are available from supermarkets or OUSA offices. Other bags will not be collected so please do not use them. Alternatively, you can subscribe to an independent wheelie bin service to dispose of your rubbish.
The map below outlines the Monday pickup area for recycling and Council rubbish collection in the North Dunedin area. There are also two recycling hubs, one is located on Castle Street by the Marsh Study Centre and one on the corner of Forth Street and St David Street.
If you live outside of North Dunedin, search your address on the DCC website to find out your collection day:
Search rubbish collection days
Kerbside recycling system
Blue recycling crates (glass)
Blue recycling bins take rinsed, unbroken glass bottles and jars. Mirrors, lightbulbs, and other glass products will not be accepted. No lids are allowed in the glass bin.
If you require another blue crate, they can be purchased for $10 from the DCC office in the Octagon – each flat can have up to 3 crates.
Yellow-lidded wheelie bins (mixed recycling)
Yellow-lidded wheelie bins take rinsed rigid plastics 1, 2 and 5 (all the lids must be removed and placed in the rubbish), tins and cans, and clean paper and cardboard.
The Dunedin City Council website has a search function for checking whether items are allowed in the yellow bin:
Alternating fortnightly collection days
The yellow bins will be collected each fortnight, alternating with the blue crates. Calendars on the wheelie-bins will let you know which week to put out which bin, and a Dunedin City Council Kerbside Collection app is available to show recycling days and what can and cannot go in the recycling bins.
DCC Kerbside Collections app
The app has everything you need to know regarding Dunedin City Council rubbish and recycling collections.
Download DCC Kerbside Collections app from Google play
Download DCC Kerbside Collections app from Apple App Store
Diversion Days on Castle Street
Four Diversion Day events will be held over the course of the student year at the Marsh Study Centre carpark. These days are designed to reduce unnecessary waste going straight to landfill. The recycling options are for clean cardboard, glass (separated out by colour), cans, other metal items, and some small electronic appliances.
All recycling should be sorted prior to placing the recycling in the correct bins. Gloves will be provided if sorting needs to happen at the time of disposing of materials. General waste skips are ONLY available for items with no recycling or donating options.
The Diversion Days for 2023 are:
- 24 February
- 24 March
- 20 October
- 10 November
All Diversion Day events are run from 10am–2pm, with all the bins being removed at 2pm. These events are for current students only – ID cards will be checked.
No whiteware (fridges, freezers) is allowed in the general waste as it needs to be degassed. No batteries, or building/construction waste.
Please follow the guidelines from the staff and volunteers on site and do not place anything in the bins without consulting with the staff.
Other services
Free rubbish and recycling disposal
The Waste Management transfer station located at 33 Wickliffe Street, Dunedin Central is available to University of Otago students for free in 2023 upon presentation of a valid student ID. When arriving at the transfer station, you must go across the weighbridge and show your ID to the weighbridge staff by getting out of your vehicle. Metal, cardboard, and glass recycling options are available and must be used by students if you have those items. Once you have disposed of your waste you must come back across the weighbridge to weigh out.
Please wear adequate footwear on site e.g. no jandals or bare feet.
This service is designed for extra household waste that is produced throughout the year and is not a substitute for weekly rubbish service nor for building/renovation or large amounts of green waste. If you are disposing of building/renovation/green waste, you will be charged regular fees.
When visiting the transfer station, you must weigh in and weigh out, this is a condition of entry.
Failure to show ID when entering the transfer station to weigh in may result in regular fees being charged due to being already being added into the system.
Any questions please email emily.colquhoun@otago.ac.nz
Trailers
Campus Watch have two caged trailers, brooms, and shovels all available for students to use for free.
Green Island Landfill
The landfill at Green Island has many recycling opportunities for
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Glass bottles and jars (no lids and they must be clean)
- Polystyrene
- Rigid plastics 1, 2, and 5 (no lids and they must be clean)
They also have a Rummage store for donation of unwanted goods. All these options are free for the public to use, but it will cost to drop off rubbish.
E-waste
E-waste cannot be placed in the general rubbish bin. There are many options for different e-waste items.
- TVs: These can be taken to the Green Island Landfill and disposed of at the Rummage store. There is a charge for these.
- Laptops, computers, tablets, printers, cameras: TechCollect NZ allows free drop-off of these items to some technology stores.
- Cell phones: Free disposal at Spark, One NZ, 2degrees, and Noel Leeming stores listed on the Re:Mobile website or at the Green Island Landfill Rummage store.
- Household batteries: Can be dropped off for free at the Rummage store.
Sustainability at Otago
Sustainability at Otago has some great tips for disposing of extra waste and ways to prevent it in the first place.
