Press Release – 18 October 2013
RCN E-Waste Recycling Plant opening by Honourable Minister Amy Adams
Joe Capizzi, the Managing Director of RCN E-Waste, shareholders, a number of staff and stakeholders were pleased to
welcome Minister for the Environment, Honourable Amy Adams to officially open RCN’s E-Waste Recycling Plant in
Silverdale, Auckland.
Minister Amy Adams and other invited guests attended the official opening at RCN E-Waste’s new plant in Silverdale.
Joe Capizzi said ‘Today marks an ongoing commitment that RCN E-Waste as a company and our shareholders have made to
providing e-waste solutions in New Zealand. He also thanked the Ministry for the Environment for their financial support
over the last three years in assisting RCN E-Waste to expand their infrastructure. RCN E-Waste is currently working on
their third Waste Minimisation Fund project.
In addition to RCN E-Waste’s recycling plants in Christchurch and Wellington, Auckland is strategically important to us
and our stakeholders. This is the hub that services the upper North Island, which includes our RCN e-Cycle drop off
sites and a large number of retail sites and our corporate customers, who all send us e-waste for recycling. We are here
to stay, until this site becomes too small.’
RCN E-Waste currently employs 17 staff in this plant and 40 people across the three national plants. RCN E-Waste will
continue to increase the capacity of the plant and employ more staff. Funding from the Ministry for the Environment’s
(MfE) Waste Minimisation Fund, through three projects, has contributed significantly to investment in infrastructure,
equipment and up skilling of the staff.
RCN E-Waste in its partnership with the Community Recycling Network of New Zealand (CRN) and their joint e-waste
recycling programme RCN e-Cycle, are also currently engaged in the collection and recycling of TV’s as a participant in
the MfE’s TV TakeBack Programme. More information will be published shortly on details for TV drop offs and recycling on
the Upper North island.
Jon Thornhill, the RCN E-Waste General Manager has been involved with the establishment and growth of the Auckland plant
since its inception. He said ‘It is very rewarding to see what we have achieved over the last year plus in Auckland. We
would like to acknowledge a number of our partners, staff and stakeholders who have made this all possible and who
continue to support us. These include amongst others, the MfE, RCN E-Waste’s shareholders, CRN, our RCN e-Cycle drop off
sites, Harvey Norman, Noel Leeming, the Auckland Council and various North Island Councils, sub contractors and a number
of our corporate customers. We look forward to providing them with professional, environmentally friendly recycling
solutions for many years to come.’
ENDS