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2025 Finalists

Congratulations to our Awards for Excellence 2025 finalists

Brought to you by our valued sponsor:

Re.Group web

 

The WasteMINZ Awards for Excellence recognise the industry superstars who have been part of an amazing initiative or project over the past 12 months. 

Thank you to everyone who has sent in a nomination! 

Our judges found their jobs very challenging this year - the innovation, creativity, and passion evidenced in all the nominations this year meant it was difficult for them to mark! 

The Awards for Excellence ceremony will be held on 10 June in Christchurch as part of the WasteMINZ Conference 2025

Best initiative to reduce waste or redesign products

Auckland Council - Five Steps, One Goal: Empowering Contractors to Reduce Waste

AucklandCouncilLogo

 

 

 

Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters innovative five-step waste management process is reshaping how construction projects tackle waste. By making waste reporting a contractual requirement, the Council ensures accountability from day one. Contractors submit a Waste and Carbon Management Plan before work begins, ensuring that waste streams and diversion opportunities are identified from the outset. The Council’s custom-built reporting portal streamlines data collection and enables real-time insights. To drive reuse, the council has launched a digital materials exchange platform for repurposing construction materials.

This approach is already yielding results. A recent stormwater pond renewal project repurposed 600 tonnes of sediment for planting. The materials exchange platform enabled 200 tonnes of aggregate reuse, eliminating 20 truckloads of waste. Another stream restoration project diverted 1,000 tonnes of concrete for recycling, repurposed storm-felled trees and used site-won soil instead of importing topsoil. Reusing gravel from access roads is now standard practice.

 

Stratford District Council - Send ya lids to school - Collect the caps Competition

 

Stratford competition - web

 

 

 

To support behaviour change and address one of the biggest contaminants in the area’s kerbside recycling, Stratford District Council challenged whānau to support their school in becoming the best milk bottle lid recyclers in the district. 

During the Send Ya Lids to School competition, over 136,000 milk caps were collected in 15 weeks and diverted from landfill – that’s 229kg of lids! Prior to the competition, the rate of contamination from lids was over 90% of identified contaminants kerbside. Since the competition ended, this has reduced to around 30% and maintained that level for over 6 months. The competition also resulted in residents asking for a permanent collection system for not only milk caps but all lids. 


The winning school was the one who collected the most lids for each school family. Using whānau groups fostered a level playing field, with the winning school being one of the area’s smallest rural schools!
 

Waipā District Council - Make & Donate

Make and Donate - Waipa Distrt Council-2

 

 

 

Make and Donate is a free programme were people come together to learn how to make low-cost and low-waste cleaning products: washing powder, cleaning paste, bench spray, and dishwasher powder. People get the opportunity to make one serving for themselves, and one to donate to someone else or a community organisation. The project reduces waste, enables reuse, provides hands-on education, and is a cost-saving activity for households. This project launched mid-2024 and has been successfully delivered in sold-out sessions and to a varied array of community groups. Participant's feelings of resourcefulness and empowerment have been key highlights of the project.

A major success of the project has been the momentum it has gained, and the flow-on effects around the country. The resources and learnings have been open-sourced, and other councils and community groups have adopted similar projects after hearing about Make and Donate.


 

Best initiative to encourage reuse, repair or repurpose

Mohit Shah, Wellington City Council – Electrical testing, repair and reuse

Electrical Testing, Repair and Reuse-1

 

 

 

When Mohit Shah joined the Southern Landfill Tip Shop team in Wellington, he quickly transformed the e-waste handling process. He moved the team from a simple parts resale model to a comprehensive repair, reuse, and component separation system.

Originally, approximately 60% of electrical items were being sold for parts, with the plugs removed, or simply recycled. However, Mohit brought his expertise from managing an audio-visual and electronics company in India, and implemented a testing, tagging, and repair programme. Many of the discarded items were high-value, high-end brands. By recovering these items, the council could not only generate substantial revenue but also reinforce a culture of reuse, adding a crucial step before recycling.

By repairing, testing for safety and reselling items, the initiative provides access to affordable, functional electrical goods. This is particularly beneficial for individuals and families with limited financial resources, promoting economic inclusion.

Selwyn District Council – Selwyn Reconnect Project

Selwyn Reconnect Project

 

 

The Reconnect Project promotes reuse, repair, and repurposing through initiatives such as the “ReDiscover”education centre, the "ReNourish" community garden, and the new ReUse Shop.

The council has walked the talk during construction by using repurposed school buildings for the ReDiscover centre; and glass, waste oil and their containers, recycled asphalt and other materials have also been used.

The Reconnect Project creates lasting change by educating and empowering the community to adopt sustainable consumption patterns. The ReDiscover education centre programmes encourage people to think differently about waste and resources, gaining knowledge about waste reduction, recycling, and sustainable practices, and how to employ these in day to day life. The "ReNourish" garden fosters local food production and preserving, while the ReUse shop keeps goods in circulation for longer. Future initiatives like the Tool Library and Maker Spaces will allow for repairing and upcycling, promoting a culture of reuse and repurpose.

Sustainability Trust – FillGood

FillGood -

 

 

FillGood is a citywide reusable serviceware system for Wellington, replacing disposables at events, venues, and in hospitality. Fillgood gives commercial and community-based events, and vendors serving food and drinks, a smart, cost-effective solution way to stop generating disposable food packaging waste.

The system includes mobile and fixed washing infrastructure, fleets of reusable cups, bowls and plates, and a wraparound logistics service.

Since launching last year, FillGood has already achieved great gains at the top of the waste hierarchy, avoiding the use of tens of thousands of single-use cups and food containers at many different types of events across Wellington city.

FillGood’s approach is simple yet powerful: by making reuse easy at events, everyone can take part in cutting out single-use waste. FillGood is building lasting change by making reuse a practical, affordable alternative to single use - shifting spend to local jobs and services.

Best resource recovery or value recovery initiative

3R Group – RE:Paint

Re Paint

 

 

Every year, 30 million litres of paint is sold in New Zealand, and a large volume of this material ends up being disposed of. RE:Paint aims to conserve this valuable resource.

RE:Paint was the result of 3R Group's innovation team collaborating with Resene to reimagine how paint could be collected, processed and remanufactured into a valuable material.  In October 2024, the recycled water-based paint was trialed in 16 Auckland Mitre 10 stores. One month into this trial, customer demand saw the scheme expand to a further 17 stores and currently, 68 Mitre 10 stores stock the product nationwide.

Previously, use of remanufactured paint in New Zealand was limited to PaintCrete, RenderPrep and a free community paint initiative (with limited colours available).
RE:Paint has not only mitigated paint waste and emissions but recovered a high value resource to grow Aotearoa New Zealand's circular economy.

3R Group – Tyrewise

Adele (002)

 

 

 

After 12 years in the planning, Tyrewise became Aotearoa New Zealand's first regulated product stewardship scheme for a priority product – tyres.


Not only does the scheme help manage a problem waste stream and reduce flytipping, but it has provided surety of supply of the feedstock for secondary manufacturing and production - creating economic and employment growth while preventing environmental harm. It is massively scalable and already has exceeded its initial targets

Ecogas - Transforming Organic Waste into Renewable Energy & Valuable Resources

Ecogas-1

 

 

 

Ecogas is disrupting conventional waste management in New Zealand with the country's first large-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) facility. Located in Reporoa, the plant currently diverts approximately 75,000 tonnes of organic waste annually-including kerbside food scraps, commercial food waste, and liquid organics - turning it into renewable biogas, bio-CO₂, and nutrient-rich fertiliser. 
Since launching, Ecogas has diverted over 90,000 TONNES of organic waste from landfill, transforming it into renewable resources and reducing annual emissions by at least 43000 TCO2E. The waste is converted into:

  • Renewable electricity,
  • Renewable gas, 
  • fertify™ biofertiliser, applied to farmland in the Reporoa Valley, reducing synthetic fertiliser use.
Construction of a new facility will begin Christchurch this year, with a Lower North Island site in development. The Ecogas model integrates seamlessly with existing waste infrastructure, making it suitable for urban, rural, and industrial applications. As the need for sustainable waste solutions grows, Ecogas provides a blueprint for future facilities across New Zealand, decarbonising industries and reducing landfill reliance.

Most sustainable/innovative waste disposal initiative

Environmental Decontamination (NZ) Ltd - Harnessing the potential of mechanochemistry for complex waste challenges

mechanochemistry hazardous waste destruction - EDL

 

 

 

 

EDL has developed a groundbreaking solution that uses mechanochemistry to destroy some of the world’s most toxic contaminants, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs), PFAS, and asbestos. Central to this innovation is EDL’s patented high-energy ball milling reactor, which applies intense mechanical forces to break down toxic substances through unique chemical and physical reactions.

EDL’s Mechanochemical Destruction (MCD®) process has been proven to eliminate these contaminants with over 99% efficiency in real-world waste streams, at full scale, and without generating harmful byproducts. While conventional milling is widely used across industries, EDL is the only company in the world delivering mechanochemical destruction at commercial scale.

Backed by a team of scientists and engineers, EDL continues to advance the application of MCD to tackle diverse environmental and industrial waste challenges—offering a safe, sustainable, and scalable solution for hazardous waste treatment.

Echo - Echo Corporate E-Days - Pioneering Sustainable E-Waste Disposal

Echo Corporate E-Days-1

 

 

 

Every year, Echo facilitates over 50 community E-Days across Auckland and Wellington, offering a simple, drive-through solution for households to responsibly dispose of unwanted electronics. Recognising the need for greater corporate engagement in e-waste management Echo launched the Corporate E-Days initiative in 2023, partnering with businesses to create bespoke collection events that amplify environmental impact.

This integrated approach has led to record-breaking events, such as the Echo x Samsung E-Day in early 2024, where 41,000kg of e-waste was collected. By uniting corporates, communities, and industry experts, Echo's initiative demonstrates the power of collaboration in sustainable waste management.

The collected e-waste is processed using the advanced MSS Optical Sorter and BLUBOX system, ensuring maximum material recovery with minimal environmental impact. By aligning corporate social responsibility with waste reduction, Echo’s initiative creates a scalable, high-impact model for sustainable e-waste management in New Zealand.

Waitaki District Council - Project Reclaim: Excellence in collaboration to deliver positive environmental outcomes

Project Reclaim - Waitaki District Council-1

 

 

 

 

Project Reclaim addressed an urgent environmental challenge at three coastal waste sites in the Waitaki district: the Hampden closed landfill and two uncontrolled fill areas along Beach Road. Coastal erosion was increasingly exposing buried waste in this popular recreational area, with climate change models predicting erosion rates could reach up to one metre per year. Following a comprehensive feasibility study, business case, and after extensive consultation with local communities, iwi, and stakeholders, it became clear that continued onsite containment and protection was no longer viable.

The solution involved relocating approximately 69,000 tonnes of waste to Waitaki District Council's Palmerston landfill, with the development of a new lined Class 1 cell. The project's success hinged on innovative procurement, with Council awarding a design-build contract to a joint bid from Fulton Hogan, WM New Zealand, and Tonkin + Taylor, which allowed the team to work to their strengths to achieve a successful outcome.

Best research or advocacy project

Jessica O’Connor, University of Otago - Towards a circular bioeconomy: Food loss and waste during production and processing of dairy and beef in New Zealand

Jessica OConnor

 

 

 

 

 

Jessica’s research provides food loss and waste quantities, identifies drivers, and identifies and proposes pragmatic circular economy strategies across dairy and beef production on dairy farms and at processors - which are underserved globally in food loss and waste research.

So far, this work has published a first-of-its-kind literature review focusing on on-farm food loss and waste, and is set to publish two more papers in peer reviewed journals based on the dairy and beef findings.

The research significantly contributed to the Office of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor food loss and waste reports and recommendations last year, and has recently been recognised by the University of Otago by making the Sciences divisional list of exceptional theses.

 

Helena Ruffell, University of Canterbury - Inputs and impacts of microplastics on productive soil systems in Aotearoa New Zealand

Microplastics research-1

 

 

 

 

There is increasing concern regarding the impacts of microplastics on soil health and the future of food production and security, yet their sources to and presence in productive soils remains poorly understood. 

Helena’s research developed a novel method to accurately isolate, characterise, and quantify microplastics in biosolids, composts (vermicompost, bulk, and bagged), and soil irrigated with municipal effluent. Samples collected from multiple sites across Aotearoa revealed significant microplastic contamination, highlighting critical pathways for plastic pollution in waste and resource recovery streams.

This research has been distributed extensively and raised awareness and public perceptions of microplastics, key plastic products of concern, and municipal organic wastes as a pathway of plastics contamination to productive soils. The research has also been used by the Ministry for the Environment to inform their position statement on compostable plastics.

 

Right to Repair Coalition – Campaign to support Right to Repair legislation in New Zealand

Facebook Tile - Why RtR

 

 

 

The Right to Repair Aotearoa Coalition formed in 2021 to generate support for Right to Repair legislation in New Zealand. Its members include representatives from Repair Network Aotearoa, Para Kore, WasteMINZ, and lawyers and academics from Auckland and Waikato Universities.

Their work is grounded in evidence from global and national research, including studies by Consumer NZ, Repair Network Aotearoa national surveys, as well as local insights from repair cafes associated with Repair Café Aotearoa New Zealand.

Using a volunteer-driven, collaborative approach, the Coalition has earned support across the political spectrum, highlighting the benefits of legislation for government, manufacturers, the waste industry, and consumers.

Most recently, when considering drafting the Right to Repair Member's Bill, the Green Party consulted the Coalition, whose expertise and campaign support helped the Bill pass its First Reading. 

Terre Nicholson Contaminated Management Young Professional of the Year

Dr Genevieve Smith – Beca

 

Dr Genevieve Smith - Beca

 

 

 

 

Genevieve has worked as a research scientist, laboratory technician and consultant in New Zealand and Ireland. Before joining Beca, she earnt her PhD in agricultural contaminants and soil chemistry, and has published articles on her research in international journals. Genevieve keeps across new information and best practices by attending industry events, conferences, and as a committee member of the Wellington ALGA branch.

With over 6 years of environmental experience, she is working towards her general environmental practitioner certification. Genevieve has been involved in a number of industry events, including hosting and facilitating the ALGA event “Women Leaders in the Environmental Sector” to celebrate International Women’s Day

Genevieve goes above and beyond to make sure colleagues and clients have the right information to make smart and cost effective decisions. Recently she has been working to foster open communication and connections with engineering colleagues, upskilling them on health and safety, and how environmental science plays a part in all projects.

Tom Needham – SLR Consulting

 

Tom Needham - SLR

 

 

 

Tom has developed a broad range of environmental skills so far in his career including laboratory analysis, sample collection, compliance monitoring and environmental reporting.

His professional and trustworthy nature and excellent communication skills have proven invaluable in obtaining local knowledge to inform contaminated land investigations.

He has shown particular skills in the investigation of closed landfills with a real knack for delineating the waste using site observations, historic information, common sense and good communication with staff and members of the public.

His experience in identifying waste types, including asbestos building waste, and investigating leachate, has allowed for appropriate remedial options to be determined.

Tom has already contributed to the contaminated land industry through his representation on the ALGA Emerging Professionals Special Interest Group and regularly attends the local industry networking events. He values ongoing learning and development, showing a real interest in learning from his wider team members by asking questions and is always keen to get involved. 

Waste and Resource Recovery Young Professional of the Year

Gemma Burnside – 3R Group

 

Gemma - 3R Group

 

 

Gemma is a problem solver and will find solutions to any waste problem.

When approached by Toyota NZ to tackle end-of-life car bumpers, Gemma designed, tested, and checked market demand for both the recycled material and its use in new products. Gemma was instrumental in Resene's development of NZ's first commercial recycled paint, RE:Paint, leading its quality control and mixing, and has led sustainability projects for Sika, GIB and Scion, with more in the pipeline. Gemma also mentors and trains interns and staff at 3R, encouraging them to step out of their comfort zones, and expand their knowledge.

Gemma is the embodiment of living sustainably, at work and home. She uses her expertise to design out waste, find, and create new outflows. She organised the only regional Plastics NZ beach clean-up event, and is building a solar-powered tiny home, using recycled materials wherever possible.

If it can be reused, or rescued from landfill, she'll do it - Gemma is the future of the resource recovery sector.

 

Jasmine Faulkner – Phoenix Recycling Group

 

Jasmine Faulkner - Phoenix Recycling

 

 

 

 

 

Jasmine, a senior leader at Phoenix with over 16 years in the recycling industry, heads Phoenix’s Product Stewardship team. Establishing Phoenix as a leading recycler and exporter of used lead acid batteries, Jasmine has also created end-of-life recycling solutions for 'other waste' batteries. In just two years, this has led to 100+ suppliers of batteries to Phoenix of which 30+ are councils. As of February 2025, under Jasmine's leadership, Phoenix has diverted 452,682kg of other waste batteries from landfill (of which 95,138kg are lithium).

Having few mentors herself, Jasmine has developed her team of eight from scratch to become subject matter experts, involving a significant investment of time. Jasmine has worked with The Battery Industry Group since inception and is a contributor to the WasteMINZ lithium-ion working group.

Her long-term vision is to make battery recycling accessible and practical to all New Zealanders. Jasmine is currently developing a nationwide network with hundreds of collection points (already at 245+), from councils and community centres to retailers and product manufacturers.

 

Liam Prince – Kaicycle

 

Liam Prince. Photo credit - Solene News & Land

 

 

 

Liam reflects the zero waste ethos of being both practical and conceptual.  He lives zero waste, and is an inspiration to thousands, through his work with The Rubbish Trip (the project where it all started); as Kaicycle Composting Operations Manager; Researcher for Zero Waste Network; and his public facing leadership roles include zero waste presentations, public speaking, communications and advocacy. 

Liam also flies under the radar for some of his work, including being Chair of Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance; founding member of Aotearoa Composters Network; and initiation and support of the development and securing funding for the Tiriti-dynamic project, Whakahaumanu a Hineahuone, that fosters small/medium-scale composting across Aotearoa.

Liam is part of Waste Free Welly, and remains active in zero waste advocacy through all his work -  drafting submissions, developing and delivering workshops, presentations, conference talks, and appearing before council or select committees for submissions.  

 

 

Patrick Moynahan – Echo

 

Patrick Moynahan Echo web

 

 

 

Patrick's professional journey began in 2017 when he acquired a modest computer recycling business. Under his visionary leadership, the company has transformed into Echo Technology Lifecycle Solutions, New Zealand's leading e-waste recycling enterprise. Staffing levels have grown from six to more than 60 across Wellington and Auckland, and processing capacity has nearly doubled in the last two years, now reaching almost 4,000 tonnes of e-waste annually.

Under Patrick's leadership, Echo continues to find innovative ways to drive sustainability within local communities. Echo facilitates over 50 community E-Days across Auckland and Wellington each year, offering a simple, drive-through solution for households to responsibly dispose of unwanted electronics. 

Patrick's leadership is further exemplified by his dedication to sustainability and environmental stewardship. By introducing advanced recycling technologies, fostering corporate and community partnerships, and prioritising compliance and certification, he has significantly reduced the volume of e-waste entering New Zealand's landfills while setting a new benchmark for responsible resource recovery.

 

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