Whanganui recycling centre re-opens after fire, but no plastic collection yet

A queue of vehicles was lined up outside the recycling centre when it re-opened on Monday morning. Photo / Bevan Conley

The Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre has re-opened following fire damage, but it cannot accept plastics.

Manager Dale Cobb said there was no plastic collection due to the plastic baler machine still being fixed.

He said the contractors were doing their best to work to unrealistic timelines.

“It’s really unpredictable at this stage.”

There were a lot of compliance matters that had to be signed off due to the damage from the fire, which was thought to have been caused by a crushed lithium battery.

“Ninety percent of the public are being good and very understanding, but you’re always going to get that 5 to 10 per cent who are being difficult.”

Cobb said when the centre re-opened at 9am on Monday, there were 12-15 cars lined up outside.

“It’s been about a five-minute wait at most.”

He said compared to some of the busiest days of the year, it wasn’t too bad. Christmas and New Year were usually “absolutely crazy”.

“We’re dealing with a lot of visitors to the town on those dates and having to educate them because they’re not used to our systems.”

Cobb said he was happy to be back operating after only a two-week shutdown considering the severity of the fire.

The plastic baler machine needed three new motors and a gearbox replacement.

“It was the fact the heat and the fire melted a number of components, so there was a considerable amount of power and wiring that needed to be replaced.”

He said they would work as quickly as they could to alleviate the backlog of plastic that people would have accumulated.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.