Valuable building materials that would otherwise have ended up in landfill have been recycled thanks to a joint effort between Auckland Council and contractors.
The materials come from a house, garage and carport on land recently acquired by Auckland Council to be incorporated into an expanded Auckland Botanic Gardens footprint.
A range of different materials were salvaged from the buildings including windows, curtains, bricks, Matai timber flooring, corrugated iron, iron roofing, joist timber, wooden joinery, roofing trusses, and even a spa pool. In total, more than 43 cubic metres of resources were recovered for potential reuse.
Councillor Angela Dalton, deputy chair of Auckland Council’s Planning, Environment and Parks Committee says she’s pleased that the project has minimised waste.
“Auckland Council is committed to zero waste and this project highlights the steps we’re taking while working towards that goal, given that construction and demolition waste is the largest source of waste to landfill.”
In October 2023, Auckland Council purchased 1.6 hectares (4 acres) of land on Hill Road in Manurewa to extend the Auckland Botanic Gardens and protect access to this treasured park.
Taryn Crewe, Auckland Council’s General Manager Parks and Community Facilities says the council is working together with third parties for the benefit of the local community.
“Working with Onehunga Community Recycling we have minimised the environmental impact of removing the old house on the new Botanic Gardens site by recycling materials that would otherwise go to landfill.”
Onehunga Community Recycling and Henderson Demolition worked in partnership with Auckland Council to remove and repurpose the structures on the site.
Onehunga Community Recycling Centre is a charitable registered company formed by The Synergy Projects Trust and Localised. It is the first Māori-Pasifika led recycling centre in Aotearoa.
Jamal Muavae, manager of Onehunga Recycling Centre says he was thrilled to be involved in the project.
“We are trying to make a change in the demolition industry by recognising the value of used building materials, salvaging them and passing them on to others in the community to use again.
“Once the materials are salvaged we prepare them for reuse, for example, de-nailing and dressing the timber.
“We’ve already sold a range of materials we rescued from the Hill Road site. A lot of the material has been passed on to Māori and Pasifika communities.”
Some materials from the site have gone further afield – with 3 cubic metres of insulation donated to an art research hub near Mt Ruapehu. The materials have been used to build sheds to house art materials and resources for the hub.
Auckland Botanic Gardens is a much-loved taonga which one million visitors enjoy annually.
The Hill Rd land will be held as a regional park and be protected in perpetuity under the Local Government Act 2022. This means that the land will be held in public ownership for natural, cultural, ecological, botanical and recreational purposes, and is protected from future disposal.
