In urban areas most homes will be connected to sewerage mains, but in some more remote parts of New Zealand you may have to use septic tanks. These are normally buried on a property and take wastewater from the kitchen, laundry and bathroom. Tanks need to be pumped out every three to five years. As for water, councils have a variety of means of charging for sewerage disposal. Most will simply include the cost in your general rates bill, but some councils charge separately for wastewater. In Auckland, for example, wastewater is charged based on 75% of your metered water use. In general, Aucklanders receive a Metrowater bill four times a year.