Streetside and park rubbish bins have become the latest battleground between the need to cut costs and the desire for public amenities in Auckland.
One part of the inner west of the city has lost more than half of its rubbish receptables, leading to an outcry.
Auckland Council has removed up to 52% of bins in the Henderson-Massey area, prompting residents to complain about the increase in litter in the parks and environment of the area.
The intention was to cut costs by removing bins from across Auckland, but the data shows the removal of bins was somewhat disproportionate among different suburbs.
In the Albert-Eden local board, 21% of bins were removed in comparison.
Henderson-Massey local board member and deputy chair of the waste political advisory group Brooke Loader told Breakfast she has received a number of complaints since the bin were removed.
However, she said on May 2, Auckland Council agreed to investigate the number of bin removals in the area.
“When we are hit, it means there’s rubbish in our parks and our public spaces. The bins are overflowing, and the public are really up in arms about this,” said Loader.
Loader said residents across Auckland have expressed concern about the increase of rubbish in streams, waterways, and parks.
She said the decision behind taking the bins away came during the middle of last year, which was during the release of the city’s annual budget.
“There was so many things going on, and I think it must have really slipped [under] the radar, and it’s really disappointing.
“It came to light when at the beginning of the year people noticed this kind of thing was starting to happen, and the removal of the bins finished at the beginning of May, so that’s when complaints really started coming in.”
Loader said there has been pressure put on Auckland Council to bring back the bins, which has prompted the investigation on their removal.
From 10,000 bins to 7000
At the time the decision was made to remove some of the bins, an Auckland Council spokesperson said there were around 10,000 bins at the last count in November 2023.
"It’s become clear that a large number of these bins are underused and contain little or no rubbish when our contractors empty them.
"We are looking to save money across the whole council as part of the Annual Budget savings target. Rubbish bin optimisation is one way the council can cut costs and save money.
"On completion of the optimisation, we will still have around 7000 bins across our city."
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