Fix-it-up depot eases the inorganic rubbish load

Christchurch has been able to drop its inorganic rubbish collection since it set up the Recovered Materials Foundation to handle all recyclable materials in the city.

Reusable items such as old furniture and appliances are accepted without fee at three refuse transfer stations dotted around the city.

SuperShed fixes the goods and sells them to people who call at the 1700sq m shed.

It handles 2000 tonnes of materials a year.

Its business manager, Darrell Higson, said the operation employed 38 people, 13 of them fulltime.

They included an electrician, who advised on basic appliance repairs.

It was a non-profit operation, which was not subsidised by the city council and paid a lease to the council for property it used.