Timaru Rubbish & Recycling

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

Timaru has a green bin for food scraps and garden waste, collected every week, plus a red rubbish bin one week and a yellow recycling bin and blue glass bin the next. Here is how to find your collection day, what goes in each bin, and where to take everything else.

Have your bins out by 6am 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?

Green binFood and garden · every week

Yes

  • Fruit and vegetable scraps
  • Meat, fish and dairy
  • Cooked food and eggshells
  • Coffee grounds
  • Branches, flowers, leaves and weeds
  • Untreated wood

No

  • Paper and cardboard
  • Tea bags and coffee filters
  • Plastic bags and plant pots
  • Ash and treated timber
  • Flax, palm and cabbage tree leaves
  • Soil, bricks and concrete

In summer, put a stick under the lid to help prevent grass fires.

Yellow binRecycling · every 2 weeks

Yes

  • Plastic bottles, clear trays and containers 1, 2 and 5
  • Aluminium cans and steel tins, rinsed
  • Flattened cardboard and cereal boxes
  • Paper, newspapers, magazines and junk mail
  • Books

No

  • Lids (they go in the red bin)
  • Plastics 3, 4, 6, 7
  • Glass (it goes in the blue bin)

Squash cardboard but not bottles.

Blue binGlass · every 2 weeks

Yes

  • Glass bottles, rinsed
  • Glass jars, rinsed

No

  • Lids
  • Broken glass (wrap it, red bin)
  • Window glass and drinking glasses
  • Ceramics and light bulbs

If you're unsure about a glass item, put it in the red bin.

Red binRubbish · every 2 weeks

Yes

  • General household rubbish
  • Bottle and container lids
  • Nappies and bagged pet droppings
  • Soft plastics, polystyrene and plastics 3, 4, 6, 7
  • Tea bags and coffee filters
  • Broken glass, wrapped

No

  • Car batteries
  • Electronics
  • Paint
  • Rubbish beside or on top of the bin

Max weight 80kg.

Public holidays

Bins are normally collected as usual on public holidays. Any changes are posted on the council website, or call 03 687 7200.

Drop-off points

Redruth Resource Recovery Park

23 Shaw Street, Timaru

Monday to Friday 7.30am to 4.15pm; Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4.15pm (closed Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Good Friday)

Rubbish (fee)RecyclingHazardous wasteE-wastePolystyreneReusable goodsDirections

The Crows Nest

Redruth Street, Timaru

Weekdays 9am to 4.30pm; weekends and public holidays 10am to 4.30pm

FurnitureReusable goodsDirections

Temuka Transfer Station

45 Wilmshurst Road, Temuka

Thursday and Saturday 10am to 3.45pm (closed Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Good Friday)

RecyclingHazardous wasteMetal and whitewareE-wasteDirections

Geraldine Transfer Station

128 Te Moana Road, Geraldine

Tuesday and Saturday 10am to 3.45pm (closed Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Good Friday)

RecyclingHazardous wasteMetal and whitewareE-wasteDirections

Pleasant Point Transfer Station

23 Beck Road, Pleasant Point

Wednesday 2.30pm to 4.15pm; Saturday 10am to 3.45pm (closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day)

RecyclingHazardous wasteMetal and whitewareE-wasteDirections

Every suburb’s collection day

SuburbCollection dayCalendar
AdairTuesday or Wednesday (depends on street)South Zone
ClaremontFriday or Tuesday (depends on street)South Zone
FairviewTuesday or Wednesday (depends on street)South Zone
GlenitiFridaySouth Zone
GlenwoodFridaySouth Zone
HadlowFridaySouth Zone
HighfieldTuesday or Friday (depends on street)South Zone
KensingtonMondaySouth Zone
KerrytownThursdayNorth Zone
LevelsThursdayNorth Zone or South Zone (depends on street)
Levels ValleyThursdayNorth Zone or South Zone (depends on street)
Maori HillTuesdaySouth Zone
MarchwielThursday or Friday (depends on street)South Zone
MilfordTuesdayNorth Zone
NormanbyWednesdaySouth Zone
OceanviewThursdaySouth Zone
PareoraWednesdaySouth Zone
ParksideMondaySouth Zone
Pleasant PointThursdayNorth Zone
RedruthMondaySouth Zone
SalisburyWednesdaySouth Zone
SeadownWednesday or Thursday (depends on street)North Zone or South Zone (depends on street)
SeaviewWednesdaySouth Zone
SmithfieldThursdaySouth Zone
SutherlandsThursdayNorth Zone
TaikoFridaySouth Zone
TemukaWednesdayNorth Zone
TimaruWednesdaySouth Zone
WaimataitaiThursdaySouth Zone
WashdykeThursdaySouth Zone
WatlingtonMondaySouth Zone
West EndTuesday or Wednesday (depends on street)South Zone

Good to know

Which zone am I in?

The South Zone covers Timaru and Pareora. The North Zone covers Geraldine, Temuka and Pleasant Point. The council's lookup confirms your zone and day.

What about the CBD?

CBD areas are collected every week on set days: red bins on Tuesday, yellow on Wednesday and green on Thursday.

My bin wasn't collected. What now?

Call the council on 03 687 7200. The same number handles damaged or stolen bins.

Can I get an extra or different-sized bin?

Yes, call the council on 03 687 7200. A charge may apply.

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