Plastic Recycling Changes

Changes to your recycling collection

Good news everybody, Xtreme Waste is now collecting more types of plastics for recycling in Raglan.

What will be collected?

Until recently only plastics with the numbers 1, 2, and 5 have been collected for recycling, but the service now includes containers with the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. The different types of plastics are identifiable by a number contained in a triangle of arrows located on the container.

What won’t be collected?

Polystyrene packaging, plastic bags, meat trays, lids, polystyrene takeaway containers and empty motor oil containers will still not be collected.

Don’t forget to wash…

Please ensure you wash and squash plastic containers and remove lids.

 For further information on your recycling service please contact Xtreme Waste on:

07 825 6509 (office) or visit www.xtremewaste.org.nz

Congratulations Raglan, once again in 2011-2012 we have diverted 75% of Raglan's solid waste stream from going to landfill. This rate is consistent with previous years and is considered high by international standards.

Astonishingly, exactly the same number of landfill bins as the year before (10/11) were transported to Hampton Downs Landfill, 126, that's 3,780 cubic metres.

The total weight however was reduced from 1267 tonnes to 1076 tonnes, that's 191 tonnes less than the year before. This suggests on average the bin weights for the 2011/12 period were lighter. That's a 15% decrease.

The total volume of product diverted for recycling also experienced a slight reduction from 12,007 m3 in 2010/11 down to 11,388 m3 in 2011/12, with the respective weights being 1326 tonnes & 1056 tonnes. That's a 20% reduction in our recyclable product. This big reduction can also be attributed to a more accurate data collection system for wood and greenwaste this year, which was likely to have been slightly overstated in the 10/11 year. 

The highest single product was cardboard, accounting for 36% of all diverted product. 

Congratulations Whaingaroa on this great result, as we work towards zero waste. Ka mau hoki to koutou wehi!

Noho mai i raro i nga manaakitanga o te runga rawa

Jacqui and Paul

Unpackit Packaging Awards 2012

WINNER - The Best - Bin Inn

This New Zealand co-operative has 33 stores. Their self selection bin system encourages shoppers to reuse their own containers. Stores sell recyclable containers if customers forget to bring their own. The refill system minimises packaging waste and has less impact on the environment, while customers “pay for the product, not the packaging”.

WINNER - The Worst - Foodstuffs

This year’s winner is Foodstuffs, for selling fruit and vegetables on polystyrene meat-trays wrapped in plastic. Produce sold this way at Four Square and New World stores includes parsnips, carrots, courgettes, grapes, and avocados, none of which need to be wrapped. Polystyrene meat-trays are not recycled in most New Zealand towns.

For more information on packaging check out these informative websites: www.smartpackaging.org.nz and www.unpackit.org.nz

Xtreme Waste Food waste Collection Trials are Underway

 Every Monday morning Xtreme Waste worker Adam Marten drives around 100 houses in a block of streets in Raglan West looking for  lockable food waste bins  that people have put out with their recycling and rubbish bags as part of this trial.  Adam records how often people are using the service and how much food waste they are donating.   Xtreme Waste is really impressed by the great use of the service.  People are using all the equipment properly and giving us all the right stuff.  

 Adam tips the food waste, contained in biodegradable corn starch bags, into a miniskip bin and then drives back up to the Recycling Centre to use it in our composting trials.  Xtreme Waste is trialling two composting methods for the food waste.  One method uses freshly mulched green waste wrapped around the food waste to achieve temperatures of 70C degrees and kill harmful bacteria and weed seeds.  The other method is using millions of tiger worms that love turning warm compost full of food waste into wonderful worm castings that are very nutritious plant food. 

In October’s Enviromatters in the Raglan chronicle, we’ll let you know how the composting trials are going and some information about the new garden products we’ll be making.

The Xtreme Waste Team

A month of making, sewing, crafting and creating. Take the "make, don't buy" challenge for all your gifts this December.

WHEN November

 Thursday evenings 7-10pm

  Friday mornings 9-12

WHERE   Raglan Union Church Hall, Stewart St, Raglan

Register your interest on facebook "SEW-vember"

Sew-vember is a non profit community project run by local mums in response to:

The high level of debt incurred by families by over spending at Christmas

The huge amount of unnecessary waste going to landfill

For more information contact Vicky Beeby 825 8048 / 021 656823

*Free greenwaste drop off for the month of August at the

Raglan Recycling and Transfer Station,

186 Te Hutewai Road, Raglan 

Open Mon, Weds, Fri,  Sun 8.30 - 4.30 and Sat 12.30 - 4.30

* Promotion excludes noxious weeds.

Please make sure your green waste does not have any noxious weeds in it as we don't want them entering our green waste system.  Among the worst offenders are species such as Climbing Doc, Kikuyu Grass, Bamboo roots, Wild Ginger, Oxalis and Wandering Willy.

If you are not sure what things are, give us a call for advice 07 825 6509

INTERESTED IN CASUAL OR POSSIBLE LONG TERM WORK AT XTREME WASTE?

 Xtreme Waste needs casual workers to fill in for staff on leave.  We require people to work any day of the week including weekends and public holidays.

Some of the work requires good physical fitness as it may be for one of our collection services or maybe at the Raglan Recycling and Transfer Centre.

 We require people with HT licence as well as those who don’t.

Contact us on 07 825 6509 for more information or download an application form from our website

http://www.xtremewaste.org.nz/vacancies/

Posted today

A public talk from Laurence Boomert showing how we can Revitalise, Reconnect and Make Resilient our communities using the best social and economic models available

Wednesday 8th August
In the Waikato Environment Centre, 25 Ward St.

6pm for pizza  and refreshments
RSVP essential  (to admin@envirocentre.org.nz) $5

6.30 Presentation - entry by koha ($5-10)

Following on the heels of Nicole Foss, comes this presentation by New Zealand's own Community Development and Future Planning Strategist Laurence Boomert who will bring forward the best social and economic models for creating more Resilient, Connected and Revitalised communities.

Come find out how we can:

Ø use Cooperatives & Community Currencies - including Timebanking - coming to Hamilton soon - come and learn more

Ø create employment by answering social needs

Ø strengthen and future-proof our local businesses

Ø create healthier, happier homes and neighbourhoods

Ø prepare and make our communities resilient for harder times

Laurence Boomert has a long history in contingency planning, green business development and community up solutions. In the 1990s he founded the 500 member Environmental Business Network, He currently runs the Bank of Real Solutions, an online database of community can-do success stories. 

He was a co publisher and writer for the book "Fleeing Vesuvius: Responding to the effects of economic and environmental collapse" published in 2011 by Living Economies with whom he is a board member. His essay in the book is titled, "How I Survived the End of the World in Aotearoa"

Along the way he has done everything from being an organic farmer to a television presenter (on Maggie’s Garden Show) to founding a new political party. He serves on a variety of national and local trusts dedicated to sustainable living.

Entry by Donation ($5 -$10 Suggested) Ph 027 25 888 07 for more info

Possibly the most useful information you will get for facing the future with in 2012. You will be glad you came.

Also at the meeting will be Ruth Seabright who is setting up the Hamilton Timebank as part of her masters studies and she will be there to talk to anyone interested in becoming involved in the Timebank