Whakatāne District Council is urging locals to get involved with a recycling campaign that carries a $25,000 cash prize.
The campaign, from WasteMINZ on behalf of The Ministry for the Environment, is called 'Rinse, Recycle, Repeat', and runs from now until 5 November.
The idea is for people to create content such as photos and videos that promote correct recycling practices by encouraging people to rinse their cans, jars and bottles before they put them in their recycling.
People can post the content on social media with a tag that links them to the competition.
The council's Waste Management and Minimisation Coordinator, Sheree Kearney, says the competition is a great way to raise awareness of good recycling practices while having lots of fun – and possibly winning a big prize.
"Not many people realise that we should be rinsing items before popping them in the recycling bins," she says.
"A quick rinse helps make these materials easier to recycle and more valuable at their end markets - and ultimately means that less gets sent to landfill because it is clean and not contaminated with food or liquid residue."
Sheree says she is encouraged by the talent and enthusiasm of Whakatāne District locals when it comes to recycling and minimising waste.
"A great example is young Tia Beale, who became a Facebook hero during lockdown when she picked up rubbish around her neighbourhood in Whakatāne.
"If an eight-year-old can pick up rubbish, then we can rinse our bottles."
To enter, people must post a piece of content to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn that shows how to make sure recyclable items are cleaned before they go in the recycling bin.
The post must be tagged @RinseRecycleRepeatNZ.
The Ministry says it's best for competition entries to avoid showing council-provided recycling bins, as these vary around the country and might confuse people.
The winner will be announced the week after November 5 closing date.