Friday 3 July saw the opening of Auckland’s first Community Resource Recovery Park (RRP) on Waiheke Island.
The facilities enable Aucklanders to drop off unwanted items and materials for reuse, re-purposing or recycling in a bid to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and achieve Auckland’s vision of zero waste to landfill by 2040.
The opening of the Community RRP marks a milestone in the growth of Auckland Council’s Resource Recovery Network, which is currently made up of eight Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) spread across the region from Wellsford in the north to Waiuku in the south.
Waiheke’s Community RRP operates from the previous Waiheke Transfer Station site at 108-110 Ostend Road. The Waiheke Zero Waste Partnership – made up of the local Waiheke branch of AIM Services and local community organisations, Island Waste Collective (IWC) and Clean Island (CI) – is running the new operation in collaboration with Auckland Council.
“Waiheke locals should be proud of being the first community to establish a Community RRP,” says Terry Coe, Waste Enterprise and Refuse Manager at Auckland Council.
“The RRP concept takes Community Recycling Centre services to the next level. It will support the local community to further develop a circular economy and create innovative enterprises that find ways to turn waste into resources.”
Both Waiheke residents and local businesses can take advantage of the waste and resource recovery services available at the RRP, which is open daily from 8am to 4pm. Before visiting on public holidays, customers can check aucklandcouncil.govt.nz for details on opening hours.
The new site layout features three drop-off bays, which are designed to help the community divert waste from landfill. Customers will be able to drop off quality, pre-loved items that they don’t need anymore. Those pre-loved items will be sold in a new reuse shop that will be opening in the coming months.
Terry Coe says that there are ambitious plans to further develop the Community RRP, over time, by expanding operations on to a nearby site at 4-6 Tahi Road.
“The Community RRP is being run by a dedicated and highly-motivated team of locals. Their strong links to local businesses and the community mean there is a high commitment level to realise the community’s zero-waste aspirations. Exciting times are ahead, and Waiheke is keen to lead the way in reducing waste to landfill.”
