This year, New Zealand’s Recycling Week was held from 19–25 October 2026.
The nationwide movement that helps turn everyday actions into lasting change. ♻️
Thank you to everyone who took part in this year's campaign.
Stay tuned for Recycling Week 2027!
About Recycling Week
Recycling Week began with a simple belief: that when people understand waste, they make better choices.
recycle.co.nz
That belief led Reclaim to create the website recycle.co.nz, a place to share clear, practical education around waste and sustainability. What started as a resource quickly proved its value, becoming so insightful it was adopted into school curriculums across New Zealand. It showed us the power of education to create real change.
The first Recycling Week in 2013
In 2013, clients started approaching us with the desire to educate their teams better on recycling. We saw an opportunity to share our decades of recycling experience and waste minimisation knowledge even further - not just to schools or our existing clients, but to communities, businesses, and organisations nationwide.
That’s when Recycling Week was born.
Today, Recycling Week is a free annual campaign by Reclaim that brings together schools, businesses, and corporates of all sizes with one shared goal: to reduce waste and recycle better. Throughout the week, organisations across the country run activities, spark conversations, and inspire action within their teams and their communities - helping build a cleaner, more sustainable future for New Zealand.
The movement continues to grow year after year, with record numbers of monuments lighting up in green to support the movement, and organisations registering in 2026. Each new participant strengthens the impact, proving that meaningful change happens when we work together.
"Your resources are timeless so can be reused throughout the year in a wide range of spaces - schools, reuse centres, homes etc. This makes them very valuable and I already have plans about how else we can reuse them (currently planning a mini putt golf course and these would be great in this). The messaging is very down to earth and relatable so well done!! And a huge thank you!" — Emily J., Ruapehu District Council
How to Get Involved
You have the option to choose your level of involvement and engagement with the campaign. By selecting a programme you will receive tailored resources and instructions on how to bring Recycling Week to life in a way that works for your organisation. Below are the programmes for Recycling Week 2026.
Recycling Week 2026 Programmes
Recycling Week 2026 Supporters
Businesses, schools, local governments, and community organisations all over New Zealand participate in Recycling Week each year.
They help bring Recycling Week to life through driving education, reaching more New Zealanders, creating resources, providing financial support, and reducing the overall proportion of waste ending up in landfill.
Partnerships allow us to provide resources to participants and assist in running activations to engage staff, students and everyone else.
If you're interested in supporting Recycling Week 2027, send us an email at [email protected].
Participants' Hub
Participants get instant access to all Recycling Week resources based on the programme that they sign up to. The Hub is a one-stop-shop for all our icons, logos, assets, resources, webinar and quiz links, and much more.
All registered participants retain their access to the Hub.
If you have any questions, contact us on [email protected]
Participating Businesses
Recycling Week is a nationwide campaign that involves organisations of all sizes (including businesses, schools, companies, community groups, charities, Councils, and everyone in between) throughout the country. While recycling services may vary across the country, there are many ways you can minimise your waste, regardless of where you are located!
