There's money in muck: How much councils spend getting rid of rubbish

There's money in muck: How much councils spend getting rid of rubbish
How much do councils spend on getting rid of rubbish? (Image: NZME)
Cécile Meier
In the second part of BusinessDesk's Waste is Money series, we look at where the ratepayers' waste money goes. Read part one here.Councils around the country accounting for 65% of NZ's population fork out more than $226m each year to collect, process, recycle and dispose of its residents’ rubbish, a BusinessDesk analysis reveals.  Almost three-quarters of that money, or $160m, goes to foreign-owned businesses, including joint ventures they are part of.  Waste Management earns by far the most ratepayer...

More Infrastructure

‘Remarkable growth’: Fulton Hogan posts higher profit
Economy

‘Remarkable growth’: Fulton Hogan posts higher profit

Fulton Hogan paid a total dividend of $180.4m for 2025.

EPA head quits with fast-track changes
Policy

EPA head quits with fast-track changes

The latest fast-track reforms go far beyond supermarket resource consenting.

Could your KiwiSaver soon own your local water system?
Finance

Could your KiwiSaver soon own your local water system?

Founder Sam Stubbs says 90% of Kiwis back the idea of owning local utilities.

Garth Bray 03 Nov 2025
Big names for Wellington Water board
Finance

Big names for Wellington Water board

Credit rating agency warns that water reforms are no council debt panacea.

Pattrick Smellie 31 Oct 2025