We choose reuse - June 2025

In this edition:

• Construction Reuse - Case Study from Tauranga
• Shining a light on trap repair
• Auckland - Students rebuild derelict houses using construction and demolition waste
• Organics reuse webinar

Construction Reuse - Case Study from Tauranga

Construction and Demolition waste is estimated to make up over 50% of New Zealand’s waste to landfill.  This covers a wide variety of materials, and from every stage of construction and demolition.  Often the visible side is the rubble from a demolition site, or the skip bin at a construction site, but can also include waste during the manufacture of construction materials.  Work is happening up and down the country to divert this waste from landfill.  Much of the mahi investigates how we can gather materials, sort them, recycle them, or stock a resource recovery centre with them.    But with major construction companies taking the lead, more emphasis is being placed on avoidance in the first place, including designing out waste.  It is fantastic to be able to see the evolution of this mahi, and the growing collaboration across the sector.

 Recently in Tauranga, a great example of this collaboration was shown in a deconstruction project.  As part of Fosters work on the redevelopment of Tauranga Crossing, a mall that was originally opened in 2018 and 2019 and is now being further expanded, an exterior wall was deconstructed.  Given the building was only recently constructed a number of materials were able to be salvaged from the site, including insulation.  With the project unable to reuse some of this insulation, Mitika Chaturvedi, the Sustainability Lead at Fosters got in contact with, Lee Siegle at Sustainability Options on behalf of the project team, to see how the organisation could reuse the insulation with the biggest impact.  Fosters are committed to cleaning up the building sector, and Mitika works on carbon foot printing, environmental management and site recycling to support minimising the construction sector’s impact on the planet and promote circularity. Sustainability Options works to support whānau across the Bay of Plenty by providing sustainable living and housing advice and running programmes such 20 Degrees, a repairs and maintenance programme that helps improve housing conditions for low-income homeowners.

 Back to the insulation – The success – 40 sqm of insulation was gathered and installed into a whānau’s home in the walls.  The success of this means that Fosters and Sustainability Options are working together on how to gather more materials to support housing upgrades (and are always on the hunt for high quality curtains, windows, ranch sliders…).  By working directly with Sustainability Options, Fosters were able to avoid the materials sitting in a resource recovery facility, effectively cutting out the middleman.  Both Lee and Mitika would recommend other construction companies consider working directly with community groups, but there were challenges that needed to be overcome, such as:

• Timing – Although Fosters knew the phase when the insulation would be available, the exact date could not be confirmed closer to the time, due to flow on effects of weather and other tasks on the programme.
• Storage – Both storage on site until the materials can be collected, but also by Sustainability Options raised issues.  Most community groups don’t have access to large storage spaces.
• Manpower and equipment – Like many organisations operating in this space, there is limited funding to deliver a wide range of priorities.  Accessing staff as well as trailers/trucks to collect and move materials can be a struggle.

For the whānau that now has a warmer home – the effort was worthwhile, and the exercise provided valuable information for the next collaborative project. Sustainability Options are always on the hunt for materials such as high quality curtains, ranch sliders, whiteware, plywood, insulation, floor covering, heaters, and blankets.  Please contact Lee at lee.siegle@so.org.nz if you would like to donate any specific items or if you can donate skilled labour or expertise. 

Shining a light on pest trap repair

As the Predator Free 2050 movement fights to stay in the spotlight and keep funding the battle for our native birds, community groups keep ploughing on with the mahi – always seeking new and better ways. A small group has recently begun investigating the information, guidance and parts available for the repair of pest traps. Although some manufacturers make parts available, it is not always consistent and easy to obtain the information. Not-for-Profit groups and the Department of Conservation have made some maintenance videos available – but again this only covers a portion of trap types in use. Those in conservation groups often have systems for repair and maintenance, but when backyard trappers seek to access this information, it is not always easy and they end up at local Repair Cafés, who are not always better informed.

A group compromising of Repair Café representation, and conservationists, have teamed up to investigate and propose solutions to the problem. The initial stage is a survey to gather more information on the current state of play to determine next steps.

Are you a backyard trapper, part of a conservation group or know someone who is? Then complete this survey and help support keeping traps out of landfill!

Auckland-Students rebuild derelict houses using contruction and demolition waste

A great reuse story out of Auckland – not to repeat but to redirect towards this great story from the Ara Education Charitable Trust, showing the great initiatives councils’ support!

Organics Reuse Webinar

If you are a WasteMINZ member you will soon be able to access the recording of our webinar focusing on organic and food waste initiatives at Level 2 of the waste hierarchy - Reuse, Repair, Repurpose which in the context of food surplus or waste means finding ways to redirect that resource into other areas (such as through redistributing surplus food) or creating new or different food products (for both human and or animal consumption).

You will hear from three different experts on how actions to Reuse, Repair or Repurpose make a difference in tackling food and organic waste in New Zealand.

• Montana Lamb - Waiheke Resources Trust 
• Andrew Fisher - EcoStock
• Donald Shepherd - Citizen

Webinar recordings can be found under the member portal here.

The reuse blog, We Choose Reuse, brings you stories from the frontlines of reuse, in the hope it provides inspiration to others. We will be publishing this blog on a quarterly basis so send any reuse initiatives to fiona@wasteminz.org.nz to be included in the next one.

This blog is proudly brought to you by the WasteMINZ Reuse Working Group. The Reuse Working Group is an initiative of the Product Stewardship Sector Group but is supported by other WasteMINZ sector groups. Its main purpose is to raise the profile of reuse and make it more talked about than recycling.