From furniture and whiteware to roller skates, enough items to cover a rugby pitch have been saved from landfill in the latest step in rethinking the way we see waste.
The 2,000m³ treasure trove of items have been donated to stock the new ReUse shop at the Pines Resource Recovery Park near Rolleston, which opens this Saturday 1 March.
The building features high levels of insulation and natural lighting, timber framing, solar panels and rain water harvesting, and a mix of new and second hand materials in the fit out.
Good quality unwanted items have been pouring in, with Selwyn residents showing excitement to make the most of the opportunity to reuse items rather than throw them out. Items have ranged from furniture, homeware, clothing, books, décor and sports equipment to tools and even musical instruments including an accordion.
“We’ve been blown away by how supportive and excited the community has been to see the ReUse shop open. The range of items is astonishing. If you want it, it’s probably at ReUse. So, it’s going to be a really exciting opening day tomorrow,” Council Executive Director Infrastructure and Property Tim Mason says
Money received through sales will cover the shop’s operational costs and any surplus will help us to offset the cost of other recycling and recovery initiatives onsite.
The shop is the next stage of the ReConnect project which is transforming thinking about what is waste. It follows the opening of the highly successful ReDiscover education centre which offers free on-site and outreach waste minimisation and sustainability classes, and more recently the ReNourish Community Garden. Potential future stages may include maker spaces where people can learn to repair and create items using reused materials, a multi-purpose waste hub, a tool library and a landscape supplies yard.
“We know from our community that caring for our unique environment in Waikirikiri Selwyn is important and in Waikirikiri Ki Tua Future Selwyn, we set out the vision of delivering a restored environment and a regenerative economy. The ReUse Shop and the whole ReConnect project are a fun and innovative way of delivering on that in a way that no one else is doing in New Zealand.”
The shop will be open 9am-4.30pm Wednesday-Sunday at the Pines Resource Recovery Park,183 Burnham School Road.