A lifesaver for tradies: New million-dollar New Plymouth waste sorting facility to open for region's businesses

Jacob Clements, of Andre Paprill Builders, loads a skip of commercial waste that will be able to be taken to a new sorting facility next year. Photo / Supplied

A $1.2 million rubbish facility for building and business waste is coming to New Plymouth.

The New Plymouth District Council will open a waste sorting facility in Colson Rd for business waste in the first half of next year.

The Ministry for the Environment is paying $420,550, with the rest coming from the council's solid waste fund and user charges.

District councillor Richard Handley says the new waste sorting facility for business will make a huge dent in the amount of rubbish our district generates.

"Currently, 60 per cent or about 45,000 tonnes of the rubbish we send to the landfill is commercial and industrial waste. We're talking about skips of building materials heading to the dump and we're aiming to divert 5000 tonnes of those materials – reuse and recycle them through local businesses – in the first year the commercial waste sorting facility is open, as we strive for Zero Waste 2040. It's got huge potential and will create six new jobs."

Businesses will be able to bring sorted and unsorted waste to the new facility, where staff will sort out items that can be reused or recycled, such as quality native timbers, fittings, fixtures and building materials, and on-sell or give them to local reuse businesses.

The facility will also look to progressively establish new markets for some materials that have not been able to be recycled locally before, such as plasterboard, tyres and polystyrene.

Common barriers for local businesses when it comes to improving how they handle their waste are cost, not knowing what materials can be recycled, or not producing enough waste to find viable solutions on their own.

A similar facility exists in Marlborough and has diverted 30 per cent of waste from landfill.