Rakiura Resource Recovery Centre

Stewart Island residents have helped to recycle nearly 40 tonnes of waste in the last six months (to the end of August 2004), and they recently won a Green Ribbon award for their efforts. 

The Rakiura Resource Recovery Centre opened in December 2003, and between January and June 2004, it has diverted 37.4 per cent from landfill.  This is a significant cost saving as all the remaining waste from the island has to be taken off by boat to Bluff and trucked to the Invercargill landfill.

The Ministry for the Environment awarded the community the 'Green Ribbon' for "empowering themselves and taking ownership of their waste stream."   The whole community had worked together to achieve significant environmental benefits and continues to do so.

One of the innovative recycling uses at the centre is turning 19 tonnes of glass bottles into base course for tracks and drainage around the island.  There is no gravel available on the island and this saves the cost of shipping.  Staff at the Resource Centre have built a crusher and are improving the grade of glass, so that it can be mixed with crusher dust and made easier to handle.

The kerbside recycling collection at Rakiura serves 370 households and picks up kitchen waste, recyclable plastics, and household waste once a week.  Recycling is done at the Resource Centre which was purpose built by Southland District Council and includes facilities for reycling, composting, hazardous waste storage, a Second Chance shed, and a hired baler for pressing cardboard and paper.  The bales are loaded on a trailer and taken off the island by boat to a maximum of four tonnes per trip.

Transport costs to get waste off the island are very high, so anything they can sell or recover is offered to residents at a very cheap rate.  Waste wood is given to the Scouts to chop into firewood and a tonne of kitchen scraps is put into the worm farm each week.  They hope to sell their vermicast by December this year.