WasteNet Southland is delighted Invercargill residents can now put their garden waste in red rubbish bins for the duration of the COVID-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown, after asking Invercargill City Council to temporarily suspend part of its rules.

Transfer stations are closed to the public and private garden waste collection services are also on hold as they are not considered essential services. With residents unable to dispose of garden waste as usual, the direction from Government has been to keep garden waste on your property until Alert Level 4 has ended.

WasteNet responded to the situation by asking Invercargill City Council to temporarily suspend the section of the Invercargill Solid Waste Bylaw that prohibits garden waste being put in red rubbish bins.

This means you can put your garden waste in your red bin if you need too – but only for the duration of the lockdown.

WasteNet Southland Chair Alex Crackett said the move was one way the city could help people carry on with their usual routines as much as possible during the lockdown.

“WasteNet approached Invercargill City Council with the proposal to offer Invercargill residents an option for getting rid of their garden waste during this period. As well as helping residents keep their sections clear, it’s also supporting the actions of the NZ Fire Service to discourage outdoor burning during the lockdown.

“Even with this temporary relaxing of the rules, there’s only so much room in your red bin, so keep up your efforts to compost to minimise garden waste,” she said.

In making the decision to temporarily allow garden waste in red bins, WasteNet noted that, as no private garden waste collection services were able to operate during the lockdown, the change was not in competition with private business.

Effective immediately and for the duration of COVID-19 Alert Level 4, Invercargill and Bluff residents can now put their garden waste in their red bins and it will be collected along usual rubbish collection schedules. The appropriate section of the Council’s Solid Waste Bylaw has been suspended at the delegated authority of Council chief executive Clare Hadley.

As soon as the COVID-19 Alert Level is dropped, the rules will return to normal, with no garden waste allowed in Invercargill City Council red rubbish bins.

Although not encouraged, it has always been permissible for people to dispose of green waste in the red wheelie bins in both the Southland and Gore district council areas.

SDC strategic water and waste manager Ian Evans said that while the bylaw did not specifically prohibit it the use of red bins for green waste disposal, the practice hadn't been encouraged "largely for waste minimisation purposes and to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and associated costs".

"Also there are a number of alternative disposal routes that are preferable to sending to landfill which currently may not be readily available at this time. Once the lockdown ends we will again promote these preferred options over sending to landfill," he said.