Steps to sustainability

  By Jacqui Knight

When I first got into conservation, we talked about the three Rs (refuse, reuse, recycle). Fifty years later it’s become a growth industry: there are now eight Rs in sustainability:  Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Refill, Repair, Re-gift, Recycle and Repeat.

With the planned implementation of bin collection charges, now is a great time to be living more sustainably and reducing your impact on the planet. There are some great initiatives available locally.

Due to space limitations here, I can’t list those which will accept what you previously might have thrown into your red bin. It’s fun exploring and finding an outlet! On several occasions a question on the Blockhouse Bay Facebook page has provided the answer.

For example, the Blockhouse Bay-Lynfield Lions Club collects wine bottle screw caps and beer tabs. The aluminium is extracted and the income from the sale of the caps/tabs means the Lions is able to fund 3-4 dialysis machines for children each year. Caps and tabs can be left at the Blockhouse Bay Community Centre office for the Lions. Who would have thought?

The Community Centre also collects items for babies including clothing, car seats and furniture for Pregnancy Help, reading glasses (Lions, Pacific Islands), old calendars and cards (Communicare), cellphones (Starship Hospital) and women’s sanitary products (One for Her, period poverty).
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There are bins in which you can recycle clothing and fabric in the carpark at the Blockhouse Bay Countdown Supermarket. EcoMatters in Olympic Place, New Lynn takes a wide variety of recycling such as razor blades, toothpaste tubes and household batteries. They have an amazing shop and also a useful webpage listing other initiatives. EcoMatters also runs classes from time to time showing people how to create compost from food and garden waste.

www.ecomatters.org.nz/zero-waste/recycling/
Auckland Council has a guide as well.
www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/rubbish-recycling/ways-reduce-waste 
Every little bit helps to make the planet a better place.