Auckland to get new community recycling centre in Onehunga

A new recycling centre is being built in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga with $2.2 million from the Ministry for the Environment's Waste Minimisation Fund.

Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff announced the plan for the new community facility today as part of the Government's plan to reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills.

"The new centre will mean people living in and around Onehunga will be able to drop off goods they no longer need to be recycled or given a new lease of life with a new owner rather than ending up in the tip.

"It is estimated the new centre will divert around 70 per cent of the material received from landfill, highlighting the importance of the initiative," Sage said.

It is expected the Onehunga Recycling Centre at Victoria St will be fully operational by 2021. It will provide a full range of community recycling services, including drop-off areas for different waste types, processing, purchase and sale of reusable goods and extra services such as community learning.

"This centre is expected to mean 260,000 fewer wheelie bins worth of waste ending up in landfill each year by 2025 [3600 tonnes] and it will create 15 new jobs for locals," said Sage.

Goff said the centre will provide a range of recycling services including the processing, purchase and sale of reusable goods and extra services such as community learning, as well as providing processing capacity for the Great North Rd, Western Springs site, which has limited space.

"This will be Auckland's ninth Community Recycling Centre and will complement the great
work being carried out by current CRC operators across the region to develop our circular
economy," Goff said.

Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Ward Councillor Josephine Bartley said having the recycling centre in Onehunga will create employment, volunteering and educational opportunities for locals.

"This is a long-held community aspiration and it's fantastic to see it coming to fruition," she said.

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It is the latest centre to be announced across wider Auckland and part of a council plan for 12 centres operating by 2024.

Sage said the Government was working to shift from a linear "take, make and waste" economy to an economy where resources are re-used and waste is designed out of production.

The Waste Minimisation Fund will contribute about 84 per cent of the total project cost to fast-track the establishment of the Community Recycling Centre on a council-owned site at Victoria St in Onehunga. The council's contribution is $416,400

It will offer services to 70,000 residents in the Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board area. It will also provide processing capacity for the Western Springs Community Recycling Centre, which will serve 300,000 residents in the Albert-Eden, Waitematā and Puketāpapa local board areas.

How recycling centres work

Drop off of:

• Reusable goods (e.g. furniture, appliances, tools, outdoor equipment)

• Recyclable materials (e.g. bottles, cans, paper)

• Construction/demolition materials (e.g. bricks, timber, electrical/plumbing fittings)

• Bulky materials (e.g. scrap steel, whiteware, tyres)

• Electronic waste (e.g. TVs, computers)

• Household hazardous waste (e.g. garden chemicals, solvents)

• Organic materials (e.g. green waste, food waste)

Processing:

• Repair/refurbishment/upcycling of used goods

• Dismantling of used goods and materials (for recycling)

• Pre-processing (e.g. baling) of recyclable materials

• Composting/processing of organic materials

Sale of:

• Reusable goods and materials

• Recyclable materials

• Compost and associated products

Services (under contract or as a paid service):

• Collection and processing of material from booked inorganic collection

• Business recycling collection

• Mini skip rental

• Environmental education programmes

• Waste audits/consultancy services

• Collection point for product stewardship schemes

Associated businesses/community services:

• Environmental centre

• Café

• Repair service/mentoring