Dismembered body found in recycled cardboard

A homeless New Zealand man whose dismembered body was found crushed in cardboard bales was likely picked up by a recycling truck while sleeping rough, police said on Thursday.

The remains of Daniel Bindner were found on Tuesday at a cardboard processing plant in Hamilton, about 30km from his hometown of Te Awamutu in the North Island.

Police investigating the grisly discovery said the 40-year-old father-of-three was last seen on June 21 and had been reported missing on Monday.

They said he was believed to have been sleeping rough in the days before his death.