30 September 2005

Turning transfer station into treasure trove

Fancy enjoying a coffee at your local reuse and recycling facility, surrounded by art made from recycled material, after a busy morning sorting your plastics and paper?

A café and gallery is just one of a range of exciting proposed activities and facilities being put forward to Waiheke islanders for the redevelopment of the current transfer station into a resource recovery park.

The proposals for the new park were developed following a survey of transfer station users, an audit of waste flowing into the site and an assessment of how much of this could be reused or recycled.

“The results of the audit showed, for example, that at least 115 tonnes of potentially reusable items could be recovered annually. With a purpose-built resource recovery park, Waiheke Island’s waste would be reused and recycled back into the community, recycling would be a much more pleasant experience, and the new activities could provide business opportunities and create jobs,” says Peter Walker, Auckland City Strategic Asset Planning Manager.

Auckland City has been working closely with Clean Stream Waiheke and sustainability consultants Envision New Zealand to determine what facilities Waiheke Island needs to recover as much reusable and recyclable material as possible from the island’s waste stream and avoid shipping it to landfill.

Gordon Hodson, a director of Clean Stream Waiheke says, “This will be a community facility that will offer a variety of new opportunities for employment and the reuse and recycling of material that was previously thrown away. It will be an inspirational example of resource recovery and sustainability in action.”

The proposals include:

- a store to sell reusable goods
- improved facilities to make recycling safer, cleaner and easier for visitors and staff such as a covered ‘drop-off wall’ with a tap for washing hands and a sealed parking area
- a fully enclosed composting system for green waste, which will decrease odour and speed up processing time
- safer facilities for disposal of hazardous waste such as batteries, paint and pesticides
- a construction and demolition yard with a display of reusable items for sale
- drop-off bins and bays for bulky recyclables
- an education room for school visits, workshops, industry training and tours
- a café and gallery that displays Waiheke Island artists’ works made from recycled materials
- making bio-fuel from used cooking oil to power local recycling trucks.

Auckland City will hold a consultation day on the proposals on Saturday 8 October at the Waiheke Community Cinema in Oneroa from 9am-1pm. The public will be able to give their feedback on the proposed activities and facilities.

ENDS

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