Russell rubbish pop-up a ‘resounding success’

A pop-up rubbish and recycling centre at Kororāreka Russell Wharf has exceeded community expectations and has been dubbed a ‘resounding success’ by Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board member Jane Hindle.

The 20-day trial facility succeeded in diverting almost 12,000 litres of recycling from landfill and significantly reduced litter problems in the historic town. The equivalent of 11,900 one litre drink bottles were diverted from landfill at the conclusion of the trial – almost four times the amount of recyclables collected at the halfway mark. More than 90 paid rubbish bags were also received during the trial.

Disposing of recyclables at the facility was free, with a fee applied to general rubbish disposal. The goal of the pop-up service was to provide a facility where boaties could deposit their rubbish and recyclables, rather than leaving them on the wharf or in the town litter bins. Separate collection bins were set up at the wharf from Boxing Day until Sunday 14 January for glass, plastics, tins and general waste.

The trial service also reduced summer rubbish issues in Russell itself. In the past, the town’s litter bins have been filled to overflowing despite being emptied several times a day. Council contractors confirmed the pop-up facility had made a noticeable difference to rubbish volumes left in public bins during the busy Christmas and New Year holiday season.

A local family that won the contract to run the facility has also been acknowledged for the recycling education they passed on to visitors and the contribution this made to the facility’s success.

The one downside to the trial appears to be that it finished too early; rubbish and recycling continued to be deposited at the location up to three days after the collection bins had been removed.

The initiative was a partnership between community group Resilient Russell and the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board. Northland Waste provided the bins free of charge, while Far North Holdings Ltd (the council’s commercial arm) contributed to the cost of the temporary centre along with Russell Kororāreka Kaitiaki Wharf Trust. Local business Hone's Pizza Garden transported the bins to the local refuse transfer station.

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POP-UP RECYCLING AND RUBBISH STATS

END RESULTS (AT 20 DAYS)	RESULTS AT 10 DAYS (HALF WAY)
94 rubbish bags received and paid for by boaties.	58 rubbish bags received and paid for by boaties.
36.4 wheelie bins (each 240 litres) of recycling	10 wheelie bins of recycling
4.8 extra big bins of cardboard (each 660 litres)	1 extra big bin of cardboard (660 litres)
Total volume of recycling = 11,900 litres	Total volume of recycling = 3,000 litres