Sustainability is something we all need to contribute to - Tim Costley

MP Tim Costley at the Levin Repair Cafe with Chris, who fixed the MP's second-hand scales.

Three key facts:

• The Levin Repair Cafe has saved over 1400kg of waste and 9000kg of CO2 this year.
• Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on November 11.
• The Otaihanga Zero Waste hub opened earlier this year.

Tim Costly is MP for Ōtaki

OPINION

This week part of my time has been focused on sustainability across the region. Let me give you two great examples.

On Friday I visited Zero Waste Otaihanga with my good friend Katie Nimon, the MP for Napier. Katie is on the Environment Select Committee. I invited her to join me to visit the (relatively) new site where everything from old building products to domestic rubbish is sorted, recycled, re-purposed and re-used, and available for purchase.

Ben and the team have done an amazing job setting it up, and it’s been running for almost three months now. They’ve already saved 36 tonnes of waste from going to landfill.

Not only that but they’re a place you can go to buy cheap secondhand products, from furniture to decking timber for those DIY jobs at home. What a great model.

Zero Waste also have a few tenants, like John who builds cabins and garden products from waste wood and other recycled products. We looked at his home-made kilns that he uses to make bio-char to add to compost bins which he makes.

I also met Dave there who repairs sewing machines. On Saturday I saw him again in Horowhenua at the Levin Repair Cafe. I took my secondhand kitchen scales I’d bought to save them going to waste, but they needed a bit of love, including having some rivets replaced.

At the repair cafe Chris was able to fix them with me and my daughters. They have such a great team in Levin as they meet each month. They’ve seen more than 600 ‘customers’ this year, saving more than 1400kg of waste and almost 9000kg of CO2. Not just scales and sewing machines - you can take clothing, toys, electronics, wood and metal products, and so much more.

Can I especially mention Jack, who is just finishing year 12 at school. He is there to help people with computers and IT, but also brings his 3D printer so he can design and ‘print’ replacement parts if they are required.

Whatever your age and whatever your junk, there is a place for you at these great new initiatives. The great work taking place in our community encourages me. I’m reminded that it’s one thing to desire a sustainable environment, but actually we all have local roles to play if we want this.

On Monday I laid a sustainable wreath at the Armistice Day service in Levin. Reducing waste, recycling, and re-using as much as possible are just a couple of ways we can all play our part.