Whangārei Rubbish & Recycling

Bin collection days for every Whangārei suburb, what goes in each bin, and where to drop off everything else.

Whangārei's kerbside service is pay-as-you-throw rubbish in official council bags, with recycling in a red bin, glass in a blue bin, and paper and cardboard set out beside your bag. Here is how to find your collection day, what goes in each bin, and where to take everything else.

Have your bins out by 7.30am on collection day. A few streets differ from the rest of their suburb, so check your exact address with the council’s lookup.

Collection dayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday

Tap your suburb to see its days.

Which bin does it go in?

Official rubbish bagRubbish · every week

Yes

  • Household rubbish in official council bags
  • Your own bag with an official sticker
  • Sharp objects, wrapped

No

  • Bags without a sticker
  • Bags heavier than 10kg
  • Garden bags, even partly full

Bags and stickers are $4.50 each from supermarkets, dairies and service stations.

Red binRecycling · on your collection day

Yes

  • Plastics marked 1, 2 and 5, rinsed
  • Food tins and drink cans

No

  • Lids (they go in the rubbish)
  • Coffee cups and drink cartons
  • Containers over 4 litres
  • Soft plastics and polystyrene
  • Aerosol cans
  • Food scraps, garden waste and batteries

In Whangārei the red bin is for recycling, not rubbish.

Blue binGlass · on your collection day

Yes

  • Glass bottles and jars, any colour, lids off

No

  • Broken glass (wrap it, put it in rubbish)
  • Light bulbs and mirrors
  • Cookware, Pyrex and drinking glasses
Paper and cardboardPaper and cardboard · on your collection day

Yes

  • Paper and cardboard, flattened
  • Pizza boxes with no food or oil

No

  • Paper in your rubbish bag or recycling bins

Put it in a bag or small box next to your rubbish bag.

Public holidays

There are no collections on Christmas Day or Good Friday. If your day falls on one of these, collection moves to the next day. All other public holidays are normal.

Coming up: Christmas Day is Friday 25 December, so Friday collections move to Saturday 26 December. New Year's Day is Friday 1 January, and collections run as normal.

Drop-off points

Re:Sort Centre

201 Kioreroa Road, Whangārei

Mon to Fri 7.30am to 5pm, weekends 8.30am to 4.30pm (winter hours)

Rubbish by the bag or trailerFree recyclingLarge amounts of cardboardDirections

Hikurangi Transfer Station

102 King Street, Hikurangi

8am to 1pm daily

RubbishFree recyclingTyres, TVs and whiteware (charged)Directions

Uretiti Transfer Station

Tip Road, Waipū

8am to 1pm daily

RubbishFree recyclingTyres, TVs and whiteware (charged)Directions

Ngunguru Transfer Station

Corner of Tongatu Road and Ngunguru Road

Mon, Wed, Fri and weekends 8am to 1pm

RubbishFree recyclingDirections

Kōkopu Transfer Station

Off Kōkopu Road, near Kōkopu Block Road

Wed and weekends 7.30am to 4.30pm

RubbishFree recyclingDirections

Ruatangata Transfer Station

Off Knight Road, Ruatangata

Tue and Thu 7.30am to 12.30pm, weekends 12pm to 5pm

RubbishFree recyclingDirections
More rural transfer stations (2)
  • Tauraroa Transfer Station Rubbish, Free recyclingTue and Fri 1pm to 5pm, weekends 8am to 5pm
  • Ōakura Transfer Station Rubbish, Free recyclingMon, Wed and Fri 8am to 12pm, weekends 10am to 2pm

Every suburb’s collection day

SuburbCollection day
AvenuesFriday
HikurangiMonday or Wednesday (depends on street)
HorahoraFriday
KauriWednesday
KensingtonWednesday
MangapaiTuesday
Marsden PointTuesday
MataTuesday
MaungatapereThursday
MaunuFriday
MorningsideFriday
NgunguruMonday
OakleighTuesday
One Tree PointTuesday
OnerahiThursday
OtaikaThursday
OtangareiWednesday or Tuesday (depends on street)
ParahakaThursday
Parua BayThursday or Monday (depends on street)
Port WhangāreiFriday
PortlandThursday or Tuesday (depends on street)
PuweraThursday
RaumangaFriday
RegentWednesday
RiversideThursday
RuakākāTuesday
SpringfieldTuesday
TakahiwaiTuesday
Te KamoWednesday
TikipungaTuesday or Wednesday (depends on street)
TitokiThursday
TutukakaMonday
WhananakiMonday
WhangāreiFriday or Wednesday (depends on street)
Whau ValleyThursday or Monday or Wednesday (depends on street)
WoodhillFriday

Good to know

My rubbish wasn't collected. What now?

Call the council on 09 430 4200 or 0800 932 463 (24/7), or use the missed collection form on the council website.

What about the CBD?

In the CBD, rubbish is collected Monday, Wednesday and Friday after 4.30pm, and flattened cardboard on Wednesday after 4.30pm. There is no council recycling collection in the CBD.

Is there a garden waste collection?

No. Take vegetation to a transfer station. Council stations charge $3.40 a bag, $19 a car boot or $26.75 per cubic metre by trailer.

Can I get another recycling bin?

Each household gets one red bin and one blue bin. An extra recycling bin is $20 from Te Iwitahi civic centre, the isite, Tikipunga Library or Ruakākā Service Centre.

Bin rules and drop-off points from the Whangārei District Council website. Collection areas from Whangārei District Council mapping data. Checked 22 October 2026.