Waitangi Day volunteers needed to help clean up tonnes of rubbish from commemorations

Last year the EcoSolutions team, Waitangi staff and volunteers took care of rubbish and recycling at the traditional Waitangi Day commemorations. They need more to help this year.

On February 6 the eyes of the nation will be on Northland, with record numbers expected to descend on the Bay of Islands for the annual Waitangi Day commemorations.

And with the bumper crowd - 60,000 to 80,000 are expected, the most ever - will come plenty of waste, but organisers are hoping a team of environmentally-conscious waste-busters will pitch in to help with the tonnes of rubbish expected to be generated.

The team at EcoSolutions are gearing up again to support the celebrations in their zero waste goals and are keen for more volunteers to join the efforts.

“Zero waste is a holistic way of looking at waste minimisation at events. It is much more than recycling. It is about kaitiakitanga, treading lightly on our whenua, caring for our taiao and only using what we need and giving back to Papatūānuku so we can continue to celebrate for generations to come,” EcoSolutions said.

Last year the EcoSolutions team, Waitangi staff and volunteers made sure the day ran smoothly overall. Forty-two trained volunteer recycling ambassadors from all over the Far North were allocated stations providing assistance to the public, ensuring waste materials were placed in the right bins. All-day refreshments, a koha for lunch and a contribution toward travel were given to volunteers.

All compostables were taken to Waipapa Landscape Supplies in Waipapa for commercial composting, ensuring all compostables are turned back into soil.

“Almost 90 per cent of waste was diverted from landfill last year and this year we are aiming for even more. The EcoSolutions team is also very excited about the close collaboration with Para Kore, who will be working with Te Tii Marae and the Shippies reserve on the zero waste kaupapa.”

The EcoSolutions and Para Kore teams are looking for volunteers who are keen on making this day a truly zero waste event.

Volunteers are offered training, petrol money for shared rides, free parking and lunch money all in exchange for 3.5 hours of volunteering so there is still plenty of time to enjoy the day.

If you are keen to join up, check out the EcoSolution Instagram or Facebook pages or contact Anouk by text or phone on 0272545462 or email anouk@cbec.co.nz