Auckland Council
Helping Tāmaki Makaurau Residents Stay on Top of Bin Day
The Challenge
When Auckland started a new recycling service, they needed to ensure that all residents knew when to put their new ‘yellow’ bin out for collection. This was a successful project, that UbiQuity helped deliver via emails and SMS back in 2006. That then lead to UbiQuity continuing to work with Auckland Council to provide help for residents on Public holidays when bin day is often thrown off track. With different areas affected in different ways, it’s easy for confusion to pile up. Auckland Council needed a simple way to let people know exactly when to put their bins out, especially during those long weekends and holiday weeks. The key? Making it quick, local, and low effort for both the council and residents.
The Solution
Working with Auckland Council, we set up an automated SMS process through UbiQuity that made it easy for residents to stay in the loop.
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Simple sign-up: People can register for bin reminders by either texting their address to a provided phone number (short code) or simply by filling out a quick online form.
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Smart automation: Once registered, an SMS response is sent to the resident confirming receipt of details and this data is then held in the ‘recycling’ database ready to send helpful reminders.
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Helpful reminders: Before each collection, residents then get a friendly SMS reminder, so they know when to put the bin out — no need to guess or check the calendar.
The Result
A smooth rollout across Auckland with fewer missed collections, happier communities, and a lighter load for the Council’s call centre.
Ka pai, Auckland. Smart comms for a cleaner city.
