Resource Recovery Centre

The Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre is our local waste minimisation hub offering drop offs for recycling, garden waste, bagged rubbish, and more.

For general recycling, the front of the centre is open 24/7 and accepts plastics 1, 2 and 5, paper and cardboard, and glass bottles and jars.

The interior part of the centre – where you can drop off garden waste (for a fee) and recycle certain items including household batteries, soft plastics, e-waste and whiteware – is open 9.00am - 4.30pm.

The Centre is located at 81 Maria Place.

Unsure where to recycle/dispose of an item? Check out our can I recycle it? search tool.

What's new: you can now recycle up to five tyres and food and beverage cartons (like soy milk cartons) for free at the Resource Recovery Centre, along with polystyrene (white only) at a small cost. View the polystyrene guidelines here. For more information, view the dropdowns below.

Items accepted at the centre for free

plastics 1, 2 and 5 (must be clean)
drink cans and food tins
paper and cardboard
glass bottles and jars (lids removed)
food and drink cartons (e.g. soy milk containers). Please cut open and rinse (check out the visual explainer here)
soft plastics
car batteries
household batteries
used toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes
clothing (in the Savemart clothing bin)
plastic plant pots (for reuse)
tyres (up to five tyres per person for free, thanks to the Tyrewise scheme)
books (for reuse)

Price list for drop-offs

Type of material	Measure	Cost
Greenwaste	60L bag (minimum charge)	$6
	Wool sack/fadge	$10
	Car boot	$15
	Ute/van/station wagon	$20
	Trailer (no cage)	$20
	Caged trailer (per cubic meter)	$30
Rubbish bags	60L bag (minimum charge)	$8
	120L bag	$10
	240L bag	$15
Polystyrene (white only)	Per 100g	70c
Whiteware	Fridge or freezer (includes de-gassing)	$25
	Other whiteware	$10
Child car seat	Per car seat (clean, no polystyrene)	$5
Waste motor oil	Each litre of oil	50c

Price list for e-waste items

Item	Cost
Flat screen TVs/computer monitors	$10
Non-flat screen TVs/computer monitors	$25
Small appliances (kettles, toasters, microwaves, small stereos, vacuum cleaners etc.)	$5
Printer/scanner	$10
Medium photocopier	$15
Large photocopier	$30
Laptops, mobile phones, and IT accessories (modems, mice, cameras etc.)	Free

Common items that cannot be recycled at the centre

agricultural chemicals
concrete
cooking oil
crop protection netting
farm silage wrap
furniture
garden chemicals
garden spray containers
irrigation pipe
paint
rubber
toys
treated timber
window glass

For more information on where to recycle/dispose of the items above, check out our handy Can I recycle it? search tool.

Recycling at events

The centre has a recycling trailer available for events that can be booked. Make a booking by emailing the Resource Recovery Centre Manager.

Image of recycling trailer