Katikati Community Resource Recovery Centre

In partnership with the Western Bay of Plenty Council and The Seagull Centre, we are in the process of establishing a Community Resource Recovery Centre in Katikati. This initiative has a twofold purpose: creating volunteer and employment opportunities for people with disabilities and ethnic communities; and promoting environmental sustainability through the recycling and repurposing of solid- and organic waste.

Aotearoa New Zealand generates more than 17 million tonnes of waste each year. Recycling rates are low and only one-third of what goes out for kerbside recycling is recycled or composted – the remaining two-thirds ends up in landfills. Large amounts of resources are being lost that have value and these materials make up 4% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions and 9% of biogenic methane emissions. Aotearoa New Zealand has a large number of private enterprises providing waste collection and recycling services, but unfortunately, the high labour costs associated with reuse mean that it is an area underserved across the country. Community Resource Recovery Centres provide more local employment. Several years ago, the Waiuku Transfer Station in Auckland, employed one person for three days per week (0.6fte). The community enterprise now operating the site on behalf of Auckland Council, Waiuku Zero Waste, now has 16 FTEs and is open four days per week. It is also common for community organisations to go to great lengths to employ people who would normally have barriers to employment.

Employment is essential for the economic development of a community, with some economists suggesting a multiplier effect of three times the wages paid 6, i.e. every dollar paid to a local worker, there is a three-dollar value for that community in local spend. The Environmental impacts of a community resource recovery operation are generally measured in terms of the diversion of waste from landfills. Continuing with the above examples, Waiuku diverts 65% of the material it receives, and Innovative Waste Kaikoura has reached 77% diversion for its community in the past. The average diversion rate for local authorities in New Zealand is 28%.

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