Xtreme Waste in Raglan

In 1998 the Raglan landfill was closed and no further landfill sites were available to the Raglan community. 

The Whakamaua Te-Aio Education Trust in Raglan became interested in the principle of Zero Waste in 1998, after listening to the then general manager of the Zero Waste NZ Trust Gerard Gillespie, address a meeting at the Raglan Area School.

The Waikato District Council built a temporary transfer station at the old landfill site and the Trust began managing the green waste and paper and cardboard collection there, led by waste management programme co-ordinator Rick Thorpe, 

The Trust was committed to advocating for Zero Waste in Raglan and working pro-actively with the Raglan community to achieve this goal.

In October 1999, the Trust described its experiences and aspirations for Zero Waste in a report entitled "Proposal to develop a Recycle Centre in Raglan".  In a short time they had already diverted more than 700 tonnes of waste from landfill.

Development of the project had generated strong support from all sections of the Raglan community

In September 1999, the Trust were  granted $2000 from the Zero Waste NZ Trust, towards the Raglan Recycle Centre Feasibility Study which looked at the case for a kerbside collection and establishing a Recycle Centre in Raglan. 

This also resulted in the Trust holding a workshop and developing a business plan for the centre.

In February 2000, a further grant of $9000 was made to the Whakamaua Te-Aio Education Trust towards the purchase of a second hand diesel tip-deck truck with modifications - with the balance of $9000 provided by the Waikato District Council.

The truck was to enable the Trust to continue its paper and cardboard collections, to trial and start a kerbside recycling collection, and to further trial green waste management options.

By April  that year the Trust had created a new independent Incorporated Society with the sole focus on waste management for the Raglan community – called  Xtreme Waste.

They also had the support of the Waikato District Council policy committee to declare Raglan a Zero Waste town, and negotiate a contract for the management of a recycle centre in Raglan and local kerbside pickup of recyclables.

This contract, effective from 1 July 2000 was for the management of the Recycle Centre, development of various recycle collection services and comprehensive education and monitoring strategies.

In June 2000, the ZWNZ Trust approved a joint application from Xtreme Waste and the Waikato District Council for $20,000, for the "Raglan Zero Waste Pilot Project".  The grant was made possible with support from the Tindall Foundation. 

The support requested from Zero Waste was for a percentage of the education and monitoring strategies and a percentage of the establishment costs as outlined in the Business Plan, as well as a tractor.

The monitoring strategy included record keeping on all aspects of the waste stream, monitoring of community attitudes to waste management, a cost/benefit analysis of the programme implementation, and use of the results for the evolution of the Zero Waste strategy for Raglan, and for use as a model for other rural communities.

Social and economic benefits of the work of Xtreme Waste by 2001 included;

• A local purchasing policy that included $34,739 in local shops and businesses and $35,254 on local contracts
• About 6100 cubic metres of materials was collected and recycled in the first year.  If it had been taken over the hill to Horotiu landfill, it would have cost about $101,000.
• Thirteen local people employed in part-time jobs, equating to 4.5 full-time equivalents, with another eight people employed for short periods.  Another seven people had work experience.
• In the first year, $93,071, was spent on local salaries.
• A second hand shop that was able to sell items at a low price to encourage recycling in the community, and to gift items to community groups and organizations
• Other benefits such as business partnerships with local groups

In September 2001 the Zero Waste NZ Trust approved the grant of  $2900 to support the publication and distribution of Xtreme Waste's first annual report.

In December 2002, the Trust approved a grant of a further $6300, that included $3300 towards production and distribution  of Xtreme Waste's annual report, and $3000 to cover the group's "Event recycling capability project".

In July 2003 Xtreme Waste was granted $16,000 that included funding towards the production and distribution of the 2002/2003 Annual Report ($4800),funding for the Zero Waste Workshop held in October 2003 ($10,000), and for tidying up a woodpile and establishing a replacement system ($1200).

The three-day workshop on "Life with Waste" included speakers on maori and pakeha perspectives on waste management, on district, regional and national waste strategies, the true cost of waste to landfill, the Zero Waste Academy, and waste data collection systems.  In conjunction with the workshop was an exhibition "Art with Waste" featuring art and design from recycled items, and a "Fashion with Waste" event featuring an 'upcycled fashion' show.

Other amounts granted to Xtreme Waste more recently, include $1250 to attend a Zero Waste Community Enterprise Network meeting in Wellington in November 2003,   and $5000 approved in June 2004 for production and distribution of 2000 copies of Xtreme Waste's 2003/2004 annual report.   

Some of Xtreme Waste's achievements in the 2003/2004 year (taken from their Annual Report Calendar) were;

• Waste diverted from landfill was 65.7 per cent  (Waste to landfill 34.3 per cent )
• 17 per cent of Raglans solid waste stream is greenwaste (344 tonnes) and was recycled into mulch at $35m3
• 96.46 tonnes of cardboard processed, baled and sold to markets
• 42 businesses recycling 80 per cent of their waste
• 14.05 per cent  of Raglans waste in prepaid waste bag
• 103 tonnes or 4.5 per cent of Raglans solid waste comes from public litter bins
• 20m3 of 20litre plastic drums collected
• 600 average households recycling weekly
• 13.89 tonnes of aluminium, copper and stainless steel recycled
• 943 m3 glass recycled or 4.76 per cent of the waste stream
• 100 tonnes of product sold through Kahu's Nest
• 23 people working at Xtreme Waste's Recycle Centre including 4 volunteers
• Life with Waste 2003 workshop for Zero Waste communities drew 80 visitors to Whaingaroa
• 3 tonnes of window frames diverted from landfill
• 150m3 of concrete diverted from landfill

This year Xtreme Waste were also granted $3180 towards travel expenses to the Zero Waste Conference in Kaikoura in April.  Total funding from the Zero Waste NZ Trust for Xtreme Waste over the past six years is $64,380.