Methven residents are being asked to keep a stricter eye on their recycling habits after a spa pool, an old mattress and a piano were left at the town’s transfer station.

Methven has a kerbside rubbish and recycling collection, but recyclable items can also be taken to the transfer station on Methven Chertsey Road.

Methven Community Board members noted recently that the volume of unpermitted items being dropped off at the transfer station had risen. The transfer station does have CCTV surveillance so the offenders could be identified.

Recyclable items from the transfer station are taken in skip bins to Christchurch for sorting and Council Group Manager of Infrastructure and Open Spaces Neil McCann said while the facility was open to the public 24 hours a day for free drop-off, people had to use the service responsibly.

“Methven’s transfer station accepts flattened cardboard, paper, aluminium and steel cans and glass. There are also bins for plastics 1, 2 and 5, which are your more rigid plastics like milk bottles and ice cream containers.

“The transfer station also accepts whiteware, like old fridges and ovens, and these are taken to the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park. Household items that can be re-used need to be of good quality, or transport and dumping fees may be charged.

“We don’t want to see any old household items, especially old mattresses, that are too far gone to be reused.”

Mr McCann said new signage going up at the transfer station would reinforce the message.

Methven’s green waste facility is on Rakaia Barrhill Methven Road and operates on Wednesdays 12.30pm-2.30pm and Sundays 12pm-4pm.

Mr McCann said Methven’s kerbside rubbish and recycling collection would be affected during the week beginning 25 December, which is Christmas Day.

“Monday is Methven’s regular collection day, but because it’s Christmas Day and a public holiday, the collection will slide to Tuesday. All collections that week all over the district will be a day later than normal.”

The Christmas week collection for Methven is red wheelie bins and green glass crates, which should be easy to remember as they are the colours of Christmas.

There is no change to collections in the week starting 1 January, New Year’s Day. People should put their red and yellow bins out as normal on this New Year’s week, by 7.30am, with wind straps on.