At last – reducing the amount of waste to landfill is now much easier for central Auckland residents following the opening of local community hub in Western Springs for reusing, repurposing and recycling goods.
On Friday 11 August, Waiōrea Community Recycling Centre officially opened its doors to the public. The facility is the twelfth recycling centre to join Tāmaki Makaurau’s resource recovery network as part of Auckland’s goal towards zero waste by 2040.
The recycling centre is located in a heritage building at 990 Great North Road where extensive remedial work was required. As part of council’s zero-waste commitment, the refurbishment was carefully planned to minimise waste, which included its reusable construction shrink wrap-alternative made of fabric to cover the building, and its newly installed recycled carpet tiles.
Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa Ward Councillor Christine Fletcher is pleased with the region’s commitment to zero waste.
“This is a huge milestone for Auckland, and should we continue on this trajectory with zero-waste programmes – we’ll be that much closer to realising our goals, including making Auckland the world’s most liveable city.”
Fellow Ward Councillor Julie Fairey says, “At the heart of this recycling centre is a collective effort to reuse resources and send less waste to landfill, and the cooperation across local board areas underpins this project as a great sign of what we can achieve together.”
The ceremony officiating Waiōrea’s opening was a momentous occasion with many acknowledgements to a raft of stakeholders, members of the community and staff who invested significant mahi to get this initiative from concept phase, a spade in the ground and then to opening day. Following the ceremony, the public were invited to tour the facility.
Albert-Eden Local Board Chair Margi Watson is delighted the centre is finally open. “The project wasn’t without its challenges, and collectively we owe everyone who was involved a huge thank you.
“In particular, Warren Snow from Envision, who pioneered the zero-waste movement and joined many of the dots that put this project into motion. Sadly, Warren passed in 2022 before he could see his efforts come to fruition,” she says.
As part of the opening ceremony, a tree was planted to commemorate Warren’s advocacy.
Initial efforts to investigate the centre’s feasibility and to scope a suitable site for the project were championed and funded by Albert-Eden, Puketāpapa and Waitematā local boards.
“Throughout the project’s lifespan, none of it would have been possible without Auckland Council’s Waste Solutions team. They have been extremely passionate about this initiative and have liaised between various stakeholders to get this project to where it is today,” says Chair Watson.
Puketāpapa Local Board Chair, Ella Kumar is excited to see the new recycling facility up and running. “The opening of this centre is a turning point for our communities and our environment. We look forward to seeing it humming with people hunting for revived treasures and exchanging ways of minimising waste,” says Chair Kumar.
Waitematā Local Board Chair Genevieve Sage is thrilled with the result. “It’s wonderful to have this facility opening locally, encouraging community recycling efforts to reduce unnecessary landfill waste,” she says.
Through an expressions of interest process, MPHS Community Trust was appointed to manage operations for Waiōrea Community Recycling Centre. There will be a range of workshops and events held at the centre along with the ability to drop off items for recycling or upcycling. The centre is open Thursday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm.
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