Commercial Recycling Bins NZ: How to Set Up Workplace Recycling
A recycling bin only works if people use it correctly. Most workplace recycling problems come down to three things: bins that do not match what your waste contractor actually collects, labels that are unclear, and stations in the wrong place. This guide takes you from "what does my contractor accept?" to a working set-up, and shows how to choose bins, lids, liners and signage that suit your site.
The short version
|
Step |
What to do |
|---|---|
|
1. Ask your contractor |
Find out what they accept and how bins and bags must be presented. |
|
2. Choose your streams |
Pick the fewest streams that work for your site. |
|
3. Choose bins and labels |
Choose lids and labels people can read at a glance. |
|
4. Place the stations |
Put them where waste is made, with rubbish and recycling side by side. |
|
5. Match the liners |
Check the liner fits the bin before you order. |
|
6. Train and check |
Tell staff what goes where, and look inside the bins now and then. |
Why separate waste at work
The Ministry for the Environment says that being clear about what can be recycled means fewer contaminants in recycling bins, less waste going to landfill and more material being recycled overall. That guidance is written for household kerbside collections, but the same logic holds in a workplace: the clearer your bins and labels, the cleaner your recycling.
Step 1: Start with your waste contractor
The national list of standard materials is a Ministry for the Environment standard for household kerbside collections run by councils. It does not apply to private waste companies that collect independently of councils, so what your workplace can recycle depends on your own contractor. Before you buy any bins, ask your contractor:
- Which materials they accept, and whether any must be kept separate (glass is the usual one).
- Whether they offer a food scraps or organics collection.
- What bin types and sizes they work with.
- How bags and liners must be presented for collection.
Use the standard materials list as a sensible baseline. What goes in each bin sets it out in plain language.
Step 2: Choose your streams
Start simple. Every extra stream is another bin to buy, label, empty and get right. Most workplaces begin with rubbish and mixed recycling, then add streams where there is a clear need.
|
Site |
Streams that often suit |
Check with your contractor |
|---|---|---|
|
Office |
Rubbish, mixed recycling, food scraps in the kitchen |
Whether paper is collected separately |
|
Cafe or restaurant |
Rubbish, mixed recycling, glass, food scraps, coffee grounds |
Glass handling and food scraps collection |
|
School |
Rubbish, mixed recycling, food scraps |
Student-friendly labels and bin heights |
|
Gym or public facility |
Rubbish, mixed recycling |
Outdoor or indoor collection points |
|
Workshop or warehouse |
Rubbish, cardboard, mixed recycling |
Bulk cardboard collection |
Cafes that go through a lot of spent grounds can also use coffee waste bags to keep the knock tube tidy.
Step 3: Understand bin colours and labels
For years, councils and businesses used different colours for the same waste. In 2015, WasteMINZ, the Glass Packaging Forum and councils agreed a standard set of colours for mobile bins, crates and internal office bins, and companies running nationwide recycling schemes are strongly encouraged to use them.
|
Stream |
Lid or crate colour |
|---|---|
|
Rubbish |
Red |
|
Mixed (commingled) recycling |
Yellow |
|
Food scraps, and food and compostable packaging |
Lime green |
|
Glass |
Blue |
|
Cans and metal |
Light grey |
|
Plastics |
Orange |
|
Paper and cardboard |
Grey |
Where a bin cannot be coloured to match, the same guidance says to use signage in the right colour so people know what goes in it. Colour helps, but a clear label helps more. Read recycling bin colours in NZ for the full picture.
Step 4: Choose the right bins
Look beyond the lid colour. These are the points that decide whether a bin works day to day:
- Capacity: match the bin to how much waste the area produces and how often it is emptied. A bin that overflows gets ignored. Choosing sizes and liners shows how to work it out.
- Indoor or outdoor: check what the bin is designed for. The Sabco EnviroPlastic Deluxe stations, for example, are designed for indoor use.
- Lid and label: a label that stays visible helps people sort correctly. The Sabco Deluxe stations use an always-up lid so the label can always be read.
- Liner system: a bag retention rim keeps the liner neat and out of sight, and stops it slipping into the bin.
- Cleaning: a smooth interior wipes clean quickly.
- Hands-free use: in kitchens and washrooms, a pedal bin keeps hands off the lid.
Step 5: Set up your stations
A good station is easy to find, easy to understand and hard to get wrong.
- Put stations where the waste is made: kitchens and break rooms, printer areas, entrances and corridors.
- Pair recycling with rubbish at each station so people always have a choice.
- Use the same layout and the same order of bins across the whole site, so people learn it once.
- Put signs at eye level, using the words and pictures people recognise.
- Choose lid openings that suit what goes in, and check the label is easy to read from a few steps away.
Setting up recycling stations in your workplace covers layout and signage in more detail.
Step 6: Know what goes in each bin
The Ministry for the Environment's standard list for household kerbside recycling is a good baseline for a workplace as well:
- Accepted: clean glass bottles and jars, clean paper and cardboard, plastic bottles, trays and containers marked 1, 2 and 5, and aluminium and steel tins and cans. Containers need to be empty and rinsed.
- Not accepted: soft plastics, loose lids and caps, aluminium foil and trays, aerosols, liquid paperboard cartons, plastics marked 3, 4, 6 and 7, plant pots, paint and hazardous substance containers, and plastic-lined or foil-lined paper and cardboard.
- Food scraps bins: only food scraps and garden organics. Paper towels, serviettes, tea bags and most compostable packaging are excluded.
Your contractor may accept more or less than this list, so check. The full guide to what goes in each bin explains the reasons.
Keep bins clean and hygienic
Empty bins before they overflow, and wipe them down from time to time with a suitable cleaner. A hard surface cleaner or our guide to commercial sanitising wipes will help. Wear gloves when you handle full bags, and only put the designated material in each bin.
Cut contamination with training and signage
Contamination is what happens when the wrong things end up in a recycling bin, and it is the main way a good set-up goes wrong. Clear labels, a quick induction for new staff and an occasional look inside the bins do more than any poster. How to reduce recycling contamination at work has a simple routine.
Go all the way with Best Purple bags
A recycling station is only half the story, so line it with recycled plastic too. Best Purple bags are made in Palmerston North from 100% recycled plastic, a mix of post-consumer and post-industrial used pallet wrap, so plastic that once wrapped pallets goes on to work as a bin liner. The purple colour shows everyone that your business is recycling in New Zealand, and businesses that use Best Purple receive a certificate for their wall.
For the Sabco EnviroPlastic Deluxe 40L stations, our pick is the HD Best Purple Recycled 60L bag, 630 x 900mm, 30 micron, in a pack of 50. The bins' sell sheet says they take 40L and 60L liners. Use Best Purple in every bin at the station, rubbish included, so your whole set-up shows the same commitment. Our complete guide to recycled rubbish bags tells you more.
One check first: ask your contractor how recycling must be presented. Some want it loose in their bin rather than in a bag. If so, use the liner to carry the contents to the main bin and tip them in.
Recycling bins and liners in the Hygiene Direct range
Browse our full range of recycling bins.
- Sabco EnviroPlastic Deluxe Recycling Station, 40L: a modular, indoor bin sold individually, with lids and labels for paper and cardboard (blue), organics (green), bottles and cans (yellow) and landfill (red). It measures about 38 x 24.5 x 60.5cm, takes 40L and 60L liners and has a bag retention rim that hides the liner.
- Liners: our HD Best Purple Recycled 60L bags, made from 100% recycled plastic, plus small liners, large liners and black rubbish bags.
- Pedal bins: see our pedal bins for kitchens and washrooms.
- Signage: browse signs and accessories.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use the NZ standard bin colours? The agreed colours are voluntary. WasteMINZ strongly encourages companies running nationwide recycling schemes to use them, and following them helps staff and visitors who already know the colours from home. Whatever colours you use, label every bin.
Does the kerbside standard apply to my business? The standard materials list applies to household kerbside collections run by councils, and not to private waste companies collecting independently. Your contractor decides what your workplace can recycle, so ask them.
Do I need a separate glass bin? The Ministry for the Environment says councils must collect glass bottles and jars but does not require a separate glass bin. It encourages collecting glass separately as best practice, because fine shards from broken glass can contaminate other recyclables such as paper. Check what your contractor prefers.
Can compostable bags go in a food scraps bin? Councils have discretion over compostable bin liners, and the Ministry excludes most other compostable packaging from food scraps collections. Check with your contractor before you buy compostable liners.
Where do disposable coffee cups go? The standard excludes plastic-lined paper and cardboard from recycling, which includes most disposable coffee cups. Check with your contractor for options.
What if my bins are the wrong colour? Use a label or sign in the right colour on each bin so people know what it is for.
Ready to set up?
Start with our recycling bins, or open a trade account with Hygiene Direct for bulk pricing on bins and liners.
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