From a small idea to what is now a remarkable community initiative, the volunteers at Central Otago WasteBusters have

Above: The Central Otago WasteBusters yard Below: The equipment required to do the dirty work!

Above: Volunteers at work. Below: Central Otago WasteBusters shop, where recycled goods are sold.

turned their dream of recycling into a successful volunteer-driven business – in the space of just eight years!

Central Otago WasteBusters opened its doors in 2001, after more than a year of community consultation and fundraising.  Completely run by volunteers, this initiative aimed to direct waste away from the landfill system towards a perception that waste can be constructively used for the betterment of the environment and society – reduce, reuse and recycle.

Thanks to grants from the Otago Regional Council and the Community Trust of Otago, Central Otago WasteBusters built premises and started its first kerbside recycling collection in March 2001.  Two months later WasteBusters had enough funding to hire a full-time staff member and in October of that year the organisation opened a depot in Ranfurly.

Support from the Central Lakes Trust allowed WasteBusters to purchase the trucks, tractors and forklifts needed for the massive job of recycling Central Otago’s waste.  By the end of 2002 WasteBusters had established depots in Roxburgh and Tarras.  

Within just a year of operation Central Otago WasteBusters had a membership of 110 and 25 volunteers working tirelessly to sort waste such as paper, cardboard, aluminium, plastics, containers, car and truck batteries, steel, brass, copper, lead, timber, tyres, glass paint, furniture and other household appliances.  During this first year 520 tonnes of waste had been sorted to be stored or baled and sent on to markets.

In 2002 Central Otago WasteBusters won the Supreme Award at the TrustPower Central Otago Community Awards, assuring them a spot in the TrustPower National Community Awards, held in Rotorua in 2003. 

Ruth McNamara was one of the visionaries who established Central Otago WasteBusters and is still working for the organisation today.  She says winning the Supreme Award at the TrustPower Central Otago Community Awards gave the organisation a huge boost.

“From that night on we felt that we were actually an important part of the community.  We had a lot of knockers, people saying that it would not work, but from that night on we knew we would make it,” says Ruth.

Other organisations placed the same level of faith in Central Otago WasteBusters, as later in 2002 WasteBusters won the Central Otago District Council Enterprise Award and the Otago Regional Council Environmental Enhancement Award.

Since then Central Otago WasteBusters has achieved huge growth and huge results for the district.  Drop-off plants have been upgraded, new machinery added, new trucks purchased and significant improvements have been made to the WasteBusters yard, including new tar seal for the yard and the building of a glass sorting shelter.

Central Otago WasteBusters has also had an enormous amount of involvement in community events, promoting the recycling message.  The organisation has set up recycling a various events such as the Alexandra Blossom Festival and the Clyde Wine and Food Festival and has displayed a worm farm and held compost workshops at the Alexandra Thyme Festival.  At the 2006 Thyme Festival Central Otago WasteBusters, in conjunction with Central Otago REAP, ran a recycled glass symposium and held an auction of the completed works.

Youth are taught about the importance of recycling through the hosting of a number of school visits to the recycling operation and through various public events, such as recycled art competitions.

Today Central Otago WasteBusters has 100 volunteers, with 45 volunteers on duty each week to either drive trucks to collect the rubbish or to sort it out once it arrives at the depot.  The organisation has one paid manager, eight full-time staff and five others who receive a small payment for the work they do.

“We have quite a few of the original volunteers still working for us even though some times it’s not the most pleasant task, especially in winter,” says Ruth.

Central Otago WasteBusters now offers both kerbside and commercial collections and Agrecovery has recently set up a facility so they can accept agriculture chemicals.

The plastics are sent to Dunedin and then on to China for recycling, while the paper and cardboard collected goes to Otago Paper Recyclers, which then sends it overseas to be processed.  The WasteBusters’ press packs the product into export bale size so it can be directly loaded onto the containers.

Ruth says they would love to have more of the product recycled in New Zealand but we simply don’t have the population to warrant investing in the processing plant required.

In the last financial year Central Otago WasteBusters recycled 1,576 tonnes of material.

As well as helping the Central Otago community environmentally, Central Otago WasteBusters also believes it has a social obligation.  The organisation often hires those who are unemployed and then proceeds to equip them with the skills required to enable them to move into better paid employment.  The recycling trade now also offers unit standards, so those working for Central Otago WasteBusters can work towards a qualification.

Central Otago WasteBusters also supports the establishment of micro-industries in the district.  For example, currently a person cuts up the used pallets for firewood – a small business which is helping that person get back on their feet.  Another Central Otago resident is making use of the glass collected by WasteBusters to experiment with the various uses for recycled glass.  Central Otago WasteBusters has recently supported his application for a grant so he can take his ideas further.

Although some people initially predicted failure for this start-out venture, Ruth McNamara says Central Otago WasteBusters would not be where it is today if it wasn’t for the support of the community and various organisations within it, such as Councils and funding bodies.

But she says it was the win at the TrustPower Community Awards which has given the organisation and its volunteers the biggest buzz.

“We still use our TrustPower Community Award to promote the organisation and we have nominated other voluntary groups for the TrustPower Community Awards, as we want other organisations to benefit just as we have.

“The TrustPower Community Awards are so worthwhile.  You wouldn’t believe how much pleasure it has given us.”

For more information call Central Otago WasteBusters on 03 448 9948 or email wastebusters@xtra.co.nz .