- Thousands of public rubbish bins have been removed around Auckland as part of a council cost-saving drive 

- Auckland Council said it plans to remove 30% of the region’s public rubbish bins - and save ratepayers at least $9 million 

- But it has led to complaints about overflowing bins and increased litter following their removal 

Outraged Aucklanders have discovered a large rubbish bin graveyard in central Auckland after the mass removal of public bins earlier this year. 

Auckland Council promised to save ratepayers $9 million by getting rid of 30% of the region’s public bins. 

The pile, near the Auckland Domain, was spotted on Google Street View two months ago and shared to social media, where it was seen by former school principal Jason Valentine Burt. 

“As soon as I saw it I jumped on the case and drove to see it,” he told the Herald. 

He said it raises questions about the rest of the bins that were removed. 

“Where the heck are the rest, where are they dumped?” he asked. 

“Is this hazardous pile of waste in other places because these are only a small portion of the bins they removed?” 

Valentine Burt said this “feels like a kick in the guts, especially as [I was] a big campaigner against the removal of the bins in the first place”. 

Waitākere Ward Councillor Ken Turner said when he saw the photo he immediately spread it around to colleagues. 

“The reaction was a unanimous ‘Oh my God, this is ridiculous and not what we were expecting’.” 

Turner did not know whether more piles of bins existed. 

“I was told this was meant to save money. I have no tangible evidence money was saved or how much,” he said. 

“If only I had known it was going to end up in a pile in a paddock, I can only imagine what even just one of these bins cost.” 

Turner said this decision is “all virtue signalling and an example of our ideological thinking not connected to reality.” 

Ratepayers were told that the removed bins were going to be stored, to be used in the future as part of their bin replacement programme. 

Valentine Burt said the bins were “disdainfully” stored which didn’t give him confidence that they were planning to reuse them. 

“The council is just not listening, we had seven bins in our area and were left with one,” Valentine Burt said. 

A bunch of public rubbish bins that Auckland Council removed earlier this year have been found dumped on the side of a road in Auckland. Photo / Google Maps 

Auckland Council general manager for parks and community facilities Taryn Crewe said the bins won’t be going to landfill and 1336 bins have already been recycled. 

“They’ll either be recycled as scrap metal if they’re damaged, or if they’re in fair to good condition, they’ll be kept for use as replacements for bins. 

“The bins are stored at five locations across Auckland including – our Kari St Depot (part of the Auckland Domain Precinct), a location in west Auckland, one in South Auckland and two locations in north Auckland. All these locations are fenced depot areas which the public are not permitted to enter.” 

Crewe said she understands the current storage of the bins could be concerning for members of the public. 

“The bins were always intended to be stored in outside works yards, however we agree they should be stored in a more organised manner. This will be rectified, however, we can still reuse the bins either fully or for parts.” 

Public outrage following bin removal 

The controversial cost-saving bin removal plan has led to concerns by local board members, ratepayers and environmental groups over increased litter. 

Bins removed near wharves in Murrays Bay and West Harbour saw complaints of dumped bait bags and dog poo. 

The overflowing bin at Hobsonville was blamed on the removal of another. Main Photo / David Baker 

One concerned West Harbour resident even marked the removal of a bin with a memorial. 

“This is now a grave of what was a perfectly useful and well-placed rubbish bin,” the resident wrote. 

Overflowing rubbish in Avondale's Eastdale Reserve. Photo / Avondale - Let's Clean Up Our Act 

Crewe said 23% of bins across 16 local boards have been removed so far, representing a forecasted $1.25 million net opex savings per year. 

Four local boards chose not to remove any bins and pay for their retention. 

The council outlined its criteria for which bins were being removed earlier this year: 

- Sites having a natural setting where users are more likely to pack in/pack out their rubbish for example bush parks, wetland parks. 

- Low-use neighbourhood parks or low-use sections of parks 

- Where bins are not co-located with other infrastructure in streetscape 

- Where bins have been identified as historically under-utilised, meaning bins are often litter-less when contractors go to empty the bins.