Whanganui residents assured recycling is happening
Published on 07 April 2016
7 April 2016
Whanganui residents are being reassured that the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre is dealing appropriately with recycling.
Following Monday night’s TV3 ‘Story’ item that showed a waste firm collecting Wellington inner city recyclables only for them to be disposed in landfill, Cr Rob Vinsen, Whanganui District Council’s Waste Minimisation Working Party Chairman, has confirmed that all the recyclable product dropped off at the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre in Maria Place Extension is recycled.
“The Council’s Waste Management and Minimisation Plan adopted this year has a clear expectation that all waste minimisation services are both sustainable and accountable,” Cr Vinsen said.
“Council is very satisfied with the development and operation of the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre as Whanganui’s flagship for waste minimisation initiatives including recycling.”
Ken Mair, Chairman of the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre Trust, reiterated that “the Resource Recovery Centre has been careful since its inception to ensure it builds sustainable recycling markets. As a not for profit organisation we can recycle when markets are tough. Since the centre opened all product that has been dropped off has been recycled”.
“In fact recyclers love our product as it’s very clean, well sorted and generally free from contaminants… thanks to the public of Whanganui,” Mr Mair said.
During the last year the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre recycled approximately:
- 1000 tonnes of glass (sent to O-I Glass making refinery in Auckland)
- 1000 tonnes of fibre – cardboard, newsprint and paper (pulp and paper plants at Kinleith and Penrose)
- 150 tonnes of plastics (some types to China and some recycled in New Zealand)
- 10 tonnes of aluminium cans (South East Asia Aluminium Mills)
- 50 tonnes of steel (Pacific Steel Mill, Auckland)
- 200 tonnes of greenwaste (local compost operation).
When dropping off your recycling at the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre follow the signs next to the holes in the wall so the product is deposited in the right place. Please ensure all bottles are empty of contents and rinsed.