The helpful rubbish service used by just one person

A little-known fact about kerbside collection has come to light at Invercargill City Council — it's possible to have your bin retrieved by the truck driver.

But just one property in the city is making use of the extra help.

Council policy analyst Hannah Kennedy told a committee meeting this week that the service was not widely used and was handled on an informal basis.

It was possible that as awareness of its existence grew, demand could also increase, Kennedy said.

Andrea de Vries noted the potential for increased costs if the service became well known and wondered if there was an opportunity to team up with community organisations or the student volunteer army.

Mayor Tom Campbell supported assistance, but raised the issue of dogs on properties.

“If we can overcome that, I mean I would certainly support it. It will cost a lot more money.”

Consultation on the council's kerbside waste services policy is set for March or April, and will include the topic of assistance.

A report prepared for the meeting said the service was available to people with a medically identified issue preventing them from putting their bin out, or no available support.

More resourcing for administration could be required if there was a significant increase in demand, it said.

The council could also choose to stop providing the assistance, or set a fee to help with costs.

Consultation on the policy is set to cover a range of topics such as assistance, extending the service area, inspections, fees for lost or damaged bins, and additional bins.

A total 999 requests were received for damaged or stolen bins in the 2024/25 financial year, with 167 replaced.

There were 293 rating units paying for additional bins, and a total of 678 additional bin sets.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.