Innovative Waste Kaikoura

The Vision

"To achieve zero waste by 2015; facilitate sustainable employment using waste material and to provide funding through viable projects that protect, restore and enhance the environment".

Innovative Waste Kaikoura Ltd. (IWK) takes an approach to Zero Waste that is people oriented, seeking to meet the employment needs of their community while maintaining environmental balance.

To this end strong links have been forged with many local businesses, community organisations, CEG, WINZ and business partner Kaikoura District Council. This solid foundation group enables IWK to build above and beyond its core task.

The Journey

This Business Plan outlines the activities that IWK Ltd is currently engaged in, the structure of the business and relevant financial data.
Activities fall into three main categories:

• Recycling and recovery of the waste stream - targeting zero waste by 2015.
• Managing the landfill on behalf of the community to ensure this is the last landfill Kaikoura will ever need.
• Generating self-sustaining employment opportunities using products recovered from the waste stream, (both on and off-site).

Background

Recycling and recovery of the waste stream started in 1996 when a group of concerned residents banded together with a common goal of reducing waste being landfilled. The urgency to start monitoring and controlling what went into the then dump was paramount.

From this group, Kaikoura Wastebusters Trust was formed, a dedicated group who gained support for their venture from Council and community groups. A recycling shed was built with the aid of Zero Waste funding and a manager put in charge of the WINZ workers employed on site. Markets were found for cardboard, newsprint and some plastics-shipments were sent out.

At this time (1996-1999) landfill management was contracted out to Works Civil, who in turn, sub-contracted the day-to-day running of the recycling depot to Kaikoura Wastebusters Trust.

Kaikoura became a Zero Waste district in November 1998. In June 2000, this contract came up for renewal, and Kaikoura Wastebusters prepared a proposal and presented it to Kaikoura District Council.

The outcome of this proposal was that Kaikoura Wastebusters Trust and Kaikoura District Council formed a partnership company to run both the landfill and resource recovery centre.
This partnership took effect on 1 July 2000. This company is named Innovative Waste Kaikoura Ltd and consists of 49% ownership by KDC, and 51% by Kaikoura Wastebusters.

The company is run by four directors, two from KDC and two from KWBT and a Manager. Their merger with KDC has enabled IWK to raise a loan for the capital expenditure needed to buy infrastructure to manage the landfill and recycling centre.

IWK has set policies in place to ensure the amount of refuse being landfilled is reducing according to Zero Waste targets.

The enthusiasm driving IWK's vision engendered positive community and business sector support. 
A business recycling pick-up started in 1999 with 7 trial businesses has now grown to over 30 businesses, this was the beginning of WBT and later IWK generating employment through the waste stream outside the immediate recovery centre itself.

IWK is prepared to employ the "hard-to-employ" and train WINZ registered people by providing employment opportunities and step-training them into full-time work.

Activities

1.Recycling.
The Core Task.
Recycling of the waste stream is set up into self-managing areas, each with a staff member taking responsibility for his/her area.
Areas:
Recycling Shed: where plastics, glass, cardboard, paper, aluminium cans and steel cans are sorted, graded and processed for shipment or stockpiling.
Greenwaste: where garden refuse is processed by chipping the branches and currently selling the chip as mulch. Composting of Greenwaste.
Firewood: Where all recoverable wood is stored, sorted and graded, to be either sold as lumber/timber or sawn into firewood for resale.
Metal Recovery: Where all metal is unloaded, sorted; non ferrous graded for resale and ferrous strapped and baled also for resale as scrap. Electrical goods tested and appliances dismantled to recover copper etc.
Second Hand Goods: The retail area where goods in reasonable condition are resold to the public.
Glass Recycling: Crusher area - glass crushed and resold.
Public Education Area: Demo area for worm farms and household composting units.

2.Landfill Management.
IWK has set up management strategy to conserve landfill space, developing new initiatives for landfill structuring that can be marketed as a concept to other districts.
A refuse press was built and is now delivering a compaction rate of 6:1, exceeding original expectation, and further extending the life of the landfill. Previously the landfill was managed with the use of IWK's refuse truck and an excavation contractor but the new concept has greatly reduced the need for the contractor. IWK's original idea for a refuse baler was further developed by a local engineer.

3.Employment Creation.
To facilitate more than 50% diversion involves re-use of product that is currently going into the landfill. IWK initially employed 5 staff, 2 on wage subsidies.
These subsidies have been removed and the jobs are being sustained.
Two more full time workers and 2 part-timers have also been employed.

Planning and setting milestones.
IWK are developing a 5 year employment plan and a 15 year landfill management plan, both will have measurable goals set within the time frame for the whole project, so at any time progress can be measured.
These milestones will be set in each area, i.e. Landfill management, Recycling operations, and Employment.

Reporting.
Reporting is done by the manager on a monthly basis, showing landfill volumes, diversion volumes, financial reports and the manager's report consisting of site development, staffing and machinery issues.

Business Development.
New employment opportunities are constantly being assessed, while current operating areas are revisited frequently. Marketing product has a strong focus. Currently IWK is marketing Cardboard, Newsprint, Plastics (2 grades) and Scrap Metal - all transported out of Kaikoura, as well as garden mulch made from chip and second hand goods sold through the shop.

Cultural Attitudes.
IWK's attitude to employment opportunity leads to supervision and management, staff training and mentoring.
IWK is prepared to put time and effort into this area, and believes it will have an impact on the community by instilling a work ethic into people who previously had none.
Community spirit, buzz, humming, are words that have been used to describe the atmosphere on site, and IWK capitalizes on and reinforces that by encouraging people to develop their own ideas for employment using waste stream products.
It is not "just a dump" any more.

Products.
At the end of the day, IWK will not survive without marketable products, and part of our plan is developing marketable products from waste stream.

Currently products include: garden mulch (chip), firewood, timber, second hand goods.

Planned products are:- metal craft products, glass craft products, crushed glass for filters, or builders fill or sandblasting fiberglass products, renovated furniture, clothing renovation and manufactured, pressed steel blocks.

Assessment.
Continual assessment and revisiting of project areas ensures nothing stagnates, and each area is performing to its full potential.
This analysis is crucial to good management.
Modifications can be made and alterations and upgrades are easier when assessment is done on a regular basis.

Conclusion

Innovative Waste Kaikoura Ltd is a new company charged with enthusiasm for its vision. IWK's vision, mission and purpose creates a motivational force that attracts like-minded people. Involving four separate, yet at times linked motivational dynamics, IWK's vision will appeal to a wide people base. IWK's vision encompasses:

• Financial challenge. Includes development of company and marketing of product.
• Environmental/ecological aesthetics.
• Cultural/community relevance. Includes mentoring, training, employment issues.
• Community mandate for zero waste.

For this reason our current associates and partners are so varied. No matter what motivates them they are all working together, facilitating the achievement of IWK's goals.

Contact:

John Ransley
Phone: 03 3197148
Email: iwk@xtra.co.nz