Nothing wasted at Centre

Better access to the Whangaparaoa Community Recycling Centre is one of the key items on users’ wish list, according to the team that now runs the site.

Three months ago, management of the centre, on Whangaparaoa Road, which provides a free drop off point for recyclables such as glass, cans, plastic and cardboard, was transferred from a commercial operator to the local community Trust, Hibiscus Coast Zero Waste, under a year-long trial period with Auckland Council.

The Trust is a partnership between three organisations – Sustainable North Trust of Silverdale, E-Cycle Limited and the Community Business and Environment Centre.

David Kettle adviser to the Trust, says it’s business as usual at the moment as the Trust settles into the work of running the depot but they are taking note of feedback from users, via a recent survey.

The responses highlighted the need for better access for cars, so the collection bins are being pushed further back, making room for a drive through lane in the centre and a parking lane on either side. Sets of recycling bins on either side will make offloading material easier.

In the true spirit of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, industrial-sized waste that would normally go to landfill is being used to pave the new car parking area. Atlas Concrete supplied four reject concrete tilt slabs free of charge and McKenzie Transport delivered them to site at a discount. The slabs, which weigh 11 tons each and are 10m long and 3m wide, were lifted into place by crane.

Zero Waste team, from left Brendan Parris, Betsy and David Kettle and Marama Winder, have plans to improve the local recycling centre.

Hibiscus Coast Zero Waste member Betsy Kettle says what happens with the land that slopes up from behind the recycling centre to behind Mitre 10 could make a big difference to future plans for developing more recycling options, but this will not be looked at until the trial is at an end.

Long term, she says, the aim is to turn waste into a resource stream in the form of new jobs and new products.

Further user surveys will be conducted to find out whether people want the site to also take items such as e-waste, batteries, inorganics or polystyrene.

Material dropped at the site needs to be clean for handling and recycling purposes and also because any food left in cans or plastic containers attracts rats.