Three Strikes
The Grey District Council will temporarily stop collecting recycling from repeat offenders from March 2027, as it implements its new three-strike policy.
People caught three times with contaminated recycling will have their service suspended for six weeks.
The new three-strike rule is aimed at those who ignore education and act deliberately.
A large education campaign is getting underway before it comes into effect, starting with an updated recycling leaflet, which will be delivered to homes in mid-October with your West Coast Messenger newspaper. Call into GDC if you do not receive one.
Bins will be tagged, but proper enforcement action won’t happen for the first six months.
We will also have bin stickers, which show what can be recycled, available for collection from Council reception and the library from early November.
People who pass their bin audit will get a green tag, a suggestion made by submitters.
Bin contents are already audited and tagged, and have been for the last two years.
The change is that following three warnings, your yellow and blue bin collections can be temporarily suspended.
Assets and infrastructure manager Alicia Paulsen said the vast majority of Grey District residents wanted to recycle correctly and were making a genuine effort to do so.
“The three-strike policy is intended to support those efforts by addressing the small number of repeat offenders whose contaminated bins create safety risks and reduce the effectiveness of our recycling service.
“Good recycling habits help protect our staff, reduce waste going to landfill, and ensure we get the greatest value from our recycling service.”
A clean-slate pathway will be provided for new rental property tenants or owners. Landlords will be notified if a tenant is in breach.
The intent of the three-strike rule is to keep staff and contractors safe. They deal with everything from dirty needles to soiled nappies.
Reducing the amount of waste going to landfill also keeps costs down for ratepayers, as new cells (rubbish pits) cost more than $2 million.
Councillors will get an update on how the three-strike rule is going each month.
Information for media:
A green tag means the household is doing great, there are no problems with the wheelie bin or glass crate.
An orange tag indicates some minor issues with the wheelie bin or crate. There’s room for improvement but we’ll still collect it. People will receive information leaflets and guidance on how to improve in their letterboxes.
A red tag indicates the wheelie bin or crate does not follow the rules and we are not able to collect it. Residents will receive a warning letter and a flyer with information on what’s required to ensure collection next time around.
