This year many hundreds of boats will set out for a summer cruise.
It’s blissful out there on the Hauraki Gulf. Except for one thing: waste.
Waste of all types is a challenge for boaties; how to sort recyclables from landfill.
With most boats in the local fleet built before modern recycling, and the bins required to do that were even a thing, generally waste gets piled into one bag and offloaded as soon as possible once it gets to shore.
But a new initiative is proving a win-win for everyone – especially boaties who are proving extra motivated to make sure they put their aluminium cans in the right place.
Home to over 1,800 recreational boats, four yacht clubs and a variety of marine businesses and hospitality establishments, Westhaven Marina is one of the biggest marinas in the world and it’s loving leading the way in environmental initiatives.
Managed by Eke Panuku on behalf of Auckland Council, the marina is Gold Anchor and Clean Marina accredited.
When its boating customers return from a day on the water, empty aluminium cans can be deposited into one of several receptacles around the marina.
Non-profit organisation LegaSea collects the cans and takes them to a Phoenix Metalman recycling depot where they earn money to support their fisheries advocacy work.
Westhaven Marina has also piloted The Kai Ika Project with Legasea, where fish heads, frames and offal are collected from its Z pier charter base and redistributed to families and community groups in South Auckland.
Head of Marinas Kevin Lidgard says they are two of the team’s favourite and most rewarding environmental initiatives.
“Cans for Kai has been fantastic; LegaSea made $1,000 in the first month. We have added Cans for Kai facilities to every one of the marina waste facilities.”
