NPDC resource recovery manager Kimberley Hope with New Plymouth District Mayor Neil Holdom at the opening of The Sorting Depot on Colson Rd.
NPDC resource recovery manager Kimberley Hope with New Plymouth District Mayor Neil Holdom at the opening of The Sorting Depot on Colson Rd.
New Plymouth District Council has opened a new waste sorting facility.
The Sorting Depot on Colson Rd cost $1.2 million to build. Of that amount, $420,000 was funded by the Ministry for the Environment.
NPDC resource recovery manager Kimberley Hope says the council hopes to divert 5000 tonnes of materialsin the Sorting Depot’s first year.
“Up to 60 per cent of the region’s landfill waste comes from the commercial and industrial sectors. If we can make it available for reuse or recycling, it’ll be a huge step forward in cutting the amount we send to landfill and make it easier and cheaper for businesses to help build a greener, cleaner future.”
She says the new facility provides a local collection and sorting point.
“It allows us to develop markets for hard-to-recycle items, such as tyres and treated timber. With everything we accept, our first option is to reuse or recycle it locally, with some materials also going to national recycling markets and only metals sent overseas.”
Businesses need to register to use the facility, which is free, and then pay according to the size and type of each load they drop off. Lower rates for pre-sorted materials are also offered.
