7 February, 2017

Five more years for Waitakere Community Recycling Centre

After completing a successful two-year trial, the Waitakere Community Recycling Centre will continue to flourish as a result of Auckland Council awarding a five-year contract to carry on operations.

In 2015, McLaren Park & Henderson South Community Trust (MPHS) began a trial at the Waitakere Transfer Station in Henderson. The aim is to stop waste going to landfill whilst providing new opportunities for unemployed members of the community to discover their career.

“We have a lot of social and environmental objectives but we are also focused on employing people, upskilling them and offering them valuable work,” says project leader Jon Morgan – known locally as Green Jon.

In two years, the social enterprise has gone from one to seven full time staff.

In 2016, an average of 30 people volunteered and learnt new skills each week, amounting to 800 hours of work and a new purpose for many in the community.

This project has also had a positive impact on the environment. Last year Waitakere Community Recycling Centre diverted 160 tonnes of waste from landfill, which was repaired, repurposed or sold through the community store.

In 2016, the shop sold over 1,500 tools, 455 bikes, 330 lawnmowers and 223 TVs, as well as a variety of other goods.

As well as offering an effective hub for the reuse of inorganic waste, Jon and his team aim to educate locals about their individual relationship with the environment and the actions they can take to improve it.

The centre also invests a large portion of the proceeds back into the local community, supporting a number of initiatives and groups.

“Our hope is that the shop can create further profit to invest into other vital MPHS projects, particularly for youth and elderly people, which are currently underfunded,” explains Jon.

Cllr Penny Hulse, Chair of the Environment and Community Committee, is delighted with the success of the project.

“Preserving the environment and investing in our community are key priorities for the council. It is fantastic to see this worthwhile project going from strength to strength and as someone who uses the shop on a regular basis, it’s great to be able give a new lease of life to other people’s waste.”

Ian Stupple, Auckland Council General Manager Waste Solutions, says the Waitakere Community Recycling Centre is an excellent example of the council working with the community.

“The council recognises that a community-led approach to waste reduction can prove very popular and achieve some great results for local people,” he says.

“In this case, we’ve worked together with MPHS to produce positive environmental and social outcomes, and enabled a self-sustainable business to grow.”

Over the next five years, Auckland Council expects the amount of diverted waste to rise as the centre extends its reach within the community.

To find out more information about the Waitakere Recycling Centre and the rest of the Resource Recovery Network, visit http://makethemostofwaste.co.nz/recycling/community-recycling-centres/

ENDS

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