Strong start for Otaihanga Zero Waste hub

A dwarf kowhai was planted to mark the opening of the Otaihanga Zero Waste hub. Pictured from left localised chief executive Matthew Luxon, Sustainability Trust chief executive Georgie Ferrari, Kāpiti Mayor Janet Holborow, hub general manager Ben Wakefield. Photo / David Haxton

An organisation that repurposes construction and demolition waste destined for the landfill has been officially launched.

Otaihanga Zero Waste hub receives various materials for a fraction of the cost compared to if they are taken to the landfill.

And it sells quality materials at a lower cost than at a store.

The hub has already received 22 tonnes of material which is the equivalent of an entire house if it was pulled apart and disposed of.

Woods Waste has been the largest supporter having already directed 19 tonnes to the hub.

The hub is a partnership between Kāpiti Coast District Council, Kāpiti Zero Waste, Sustainability Trust, Localised, and various other supporters.

At the official launch today, attendees checked out the various material bays and saw two cabins being constructed out of recycled material.

Part of the Otaihanga Zero Waste hub. Photo / David Haxton

Kāpiti Mayor Janet Holborow, who helped plant a dwarf kowhai tree to mark the launch, congratulated everyone involved.

“It’s a wonderful facility.

“There are no limits to what can happen in this space.

“Facilities like this are so important with the growth that’s happening in the district, and the construction and the waste that goes along with that.

“To have this here will mean that so much is diverted from landfills which is so important.

“But that’s not all it does.

“It helps us to create the strong, sustainable, connected communities we want.

“It’s not just a dump-and-run but a place where people can connect in a meaningful way within a meaningful kaupapa.

“It’s a place to learn, collaborate, share ideas, plan, prepare, and innovate — there’s so much promise and potential.”

Otaihanga Zero Waste general manager Ben Wakefield said the intention was to partner with existing businesses, community organisations, and the construction industry, “to figure out how we can reduce waste by reusing, recycling and innovation”.

“There’s lots of opportunity for us to do lots of different things but we want to make sure we’re working with existing things and offer real tangible solutions for our waste issues in Kapiti.

“We’re aiming to be a mid-size option to sort the gap between material that goes to landfill, and the good intentions people have in finding good solutions all around.

Ben Wakefield with some nail gun nails that could have gone to the landfill. Photo / David Haxton

“We want to create innovative ways to value materials that are otherwise dug into the earth, covered up, and forgotten.”

Localised chief executive Matthew Luxon said it was a chance to try something new and do things differently from the past.

“These sites are needed throughout the country because 70% of climate change emissions are from the materials economy.

“So making stuff, transporting stuff, consuming stuff, throwing stuff away is a fair chunk of our climate change emissions.

“That linear economy is a fast-flowing river.

“I’d encourage you to think about this place as a wetland where it’s a place to slow down that flow of materials, and for those nutrients to be sucked up by the community, and for those materials to be used by people.”

He said the hub was part of a network of community enterprises that had been doing resource recovery for a long time.

“If we had a national network of these sorts of resource recovery sites it would create so many opportunities for product stewardship and doing things on a larger scale.

“This is small but it’s such an important link in a chain.”

The hub is located at 200 Otaihanga Road.