It’s recycling week, and to celebrate we're doing more than just looking at what goes in our recycling bins.
What do you do with furniture left over from your big spring clean? And how about items that can’t go in your kerbside recycling?
Chances are you can drop off items like that at one of the five community recycling centres around Auckland, facilities where residents can take their unwanted items and materials for reuse and recycling.
Most of the centres have shops on-site that sell usable household and building materials, so there are always some great finds.
Auckland Council plans to create a network of 12 community recycling centres across Auckland by 2024, as per the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan.
The Community Recycling Centres are run in partnership with community organisations and Auckland Council to reduce waste to landfill by reusing, re-purposing and recycling as much as possible.
Generally, the centres will accept the following items, but make sure to check with each one before you go:
- fridges
- furniture
- lawnmowers
- bicycles
- books
- timber
- household bric-a-brac
- green waste and general rubbish (some sites only).
Do you have a community recycling centre near you? Read on to learn about the unique features of our current centres.
Devonport Community Recycling Centre
The Devonport site is a source of local pride, being the first recycling depot in the country and opening for the first time more than 40 years ago.
It has gone through different phases throughout the years up until recently when Auckland Council re-established the site as a Community Recycling Centre.
Now known as the Devonport Community Recycling Centre, it’s run by Global Action Plan Oceania, a registered environmental charity whose objective is to divert waste from landfill and provide sustainable new jobs and volunteer opportunities for the community.
It is also the first community recycling centre to have a circular economy landscape supplies yard, where they stock over 200 tonnes of landscaping material made from waste products.
Proceeds from the shop on site from the sale of reusable and upcycled goods from the shop on-site are invested back into the centre and the local community.
Helensville Community Recycling Centre
The Helensville Community Recycling Centre is run by Helensville Enterprises Trust, a local community trust. They focus on creating a circular economy, community empowerment, and jobs for local people.
They recently completed a pilot house deconstruction in partnership with Envision NZ, where they were able to divert more than 87 per cent of the materials from landfill.
Find your next treasure at their on-site op shop.
The Tipping Point - Waitakere Community Recycling Centre
The Tipping Point sits within the Waitakere Transfer Station, the only transfer station owned and operated by Auckland Council. It is run by the McLaren Park Henderson South (MPHS) Community Trust, a local community organisation which runs diverse projects and programmes including:
- education
- environmental restoration
- youth empowerment
- community fitness
- neighbourhood development.
The Tipping Point invests a large amount of the proceeds from the shop and yard back into the local community, supporting these initiatives.
The Waitakere Community Recycling Centre is part of the larger council-run transfer station which also includes an education centre, the Zero Waste Zone.
Waiuku Community Recycling Centre
This centre is run by Waiuku Zero Waste a local community organisation which focuses on reducing waste to landfill and creating employment opportunities for the community.
Auckland Council is currently developing a new building on site, which will enable the centre to increase their services to include education. They are looking forward to being able to accommodate large groups from the community and provide education on how to achieve zero waste.
The centre will run repair workshops and demonstrations about responsible recycling, as well as education about sustainability, circular economy, composting and upcycling.
Items can be purchased from the Waiuku Junktion shop during opening hours.
Whangaparāoa Community Recycling Centre
This Stanmore Bay site opened in 2017 and is a smaller scale facility focused on recycling. Whangaparāoa Community Recycling Centre is run by Hibiscus Coast Zero Waste, a social enterprise that is committed to zero waste and sustainability.
You can go here for more details about this community recycling centre.
Are you a recycling legend?
Play the Recycle Right game to test your knowledge and see if you know what is supposed to go in your recycling bin. Go to www.recycleright.co.nz to play.
If you’re unsure about whether an item can be recycled or not, just ask Binny.
