Huge win for Hamilton as residents set record for keeping waste from landfill

Residents are urged to continue to recycle to fight the landfill. Photo / Hamilton City Council

In September, Hamiltonians saved more waste from landfill through the Lincoln Street Resource Recovery Centre and Hamilton Organic Centre than was saved for the entire period from June 2021 to June 2022.

In the year to June 2022, Hamiltonians saved 13,393,000 kilograms of waste from landfill by taking their unwanted items to the two centres.

In September, however, more than 580,000kg of green waste was diverted from the Organic Centre. Of the 2,649,000kg of material dropped off at the Resource Recovery Centre that same month, 663,000kg was repurposed, which is a 25 per cent increase on the same time last year.

One of the aims of the council’s Waste Management and Minimisation Plan for 2018-2024 is to use the two centres to save 16,000,000kg of waste from going to landfill.

Resource Recovery delivery manager Trent Fowles said the record amount was a huge win for Hamilton, and he hoped residents would continue to use the centres to continue fighting the landfill.

Fowles said a massive 300,000kg of wood disposed of at the Resource Recovery Centre was the main reason for the increase. Any wood dropped off at the centre is collected by an Auckland-based company and repurposed into biofuel.

Of the 2,649,000kg of material dropped off at the Resource Recovery Centre in September, 663,000kg was repurposed. Image / Supplied

“It’s great to see the innovation available in New Zealand that keeps items out of the landfill,” he said.

“As a country, we are still really young when it comes to waste minimisation, so it’s an exciting space to grow as we all become more aware of what we can do with things generally ‘wasted’.”

Fowles said aside from hazardous waste, general rubbish and damaged household goods, everything else dropped off at the Resource Recovery Centre is able to have a second life by being stripped for parts or recycled.

“While many unwanted items left at the Resource Recovery Centre are generally called ‘waste’, they are far from being wasted,” said Fowles.

“The majority of items being left there are able to be repurposed, recycled or rehomed. This gives everyone an opportunity to get involved in waste minimisation and do their part in supporting the environment and working towards making Hamilton a green city.”

Other materials saved from landfill through the Resource Recovery Centre in September included cardboard (44,000kg), glass (61,000kg), concrete (31,000 kg), plasterboard (28,100kg), steel (92,000kg) and green waste (59,000kg).