20 July 2023

Building Out Waste in Mangawhai: Feasibility Study complete

The findings of the construction waste feasibility study, Building Out Waste in Mangawhai, were officially launched at Mangawhai Golf Club. The project aims to implement viable options for the diversion of construction waste from landfill. 

The event was well attended with the participation of approximately 35 local builders, councillors, and industry representatives. With ITM Mangawhai’s Rob Cooke presenting the data and action plan from the feasibility study the attendees were provided with the context and facts as well as the required actions to take action. Breakfast was sponsored by Smith Construction who have actively diverted construction waste for many years. 

The action plan consists of 13 actions that fall into the categories of information and education; waste diversion initiatives; and collaboration. Some actions are about systemic change and infrastructure while others are about providing information directly to the industry included a newly published construction waste guide.

Prepared by Impact consulting and funded by the Ministry for the Environment, the study is comprehensive in it’s detail. For this reason, we have decided to pull out and highlight key points from the study in an infographic slideshow below to make it more digestible. You can also download the full study here.

Why Mangawhai?

The Mangawhai area is one of the fastest growing residential areas in New Zealand with its population expected to more than double by 2051 making up 86% of Kaipara’s population growth over the next 30 years creating a building boom.

Construction and demolition waste makes up 40–50% of NZ’s total waste to landfill. For new builds it’s estimated that between 22-­33m3 of waste is generated per house. This is a significant issue for a semi-rural community with massive population growth and no landfill within the district.

Rob Cooke from ITM Mangawhai expressed enthusiasm for the initiative:

“We are proud to be part of the Building Out Waste project and contribute to a more sustainable future for Mangawhai. By collaborating with local builders and industry representatives, we can work together to find innovative solutions to minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency.”

Mark Roberts, a building waste expert from the Auckland City Council also presented on his experience in Auckland and shared some eye opening photos of waste and sediment control issues. 

Get involved in the building waste project

Project lead, Sarah Bray said “we are actively looking for more local builders to join the pilot project to test out some specific waste diversion solutions. It’s a great opportunity to learn and get support along the way”.

Building Out Waste in Mangawhai invites all interested parties to participate in the action plan stage to actively implement waste diversion strategies. For further information on how to get involved, please visit contact Sarah Bray directly at sarah@sustainablekaipara.org

Building Out Waste in Mangawhai boasts a robust network of partners and supporters. The project is funded through the competitive Waste Minimisation Fund from the Ministry for the Environment. Co-funded by Vermont Street Partners who are keen to support better construction waste management. Other project partners include Smith Construction, Finess Group and ITM Mangawhai.


Contact:

Sarah Bray | Director – Sustainable Kaipara
sarah@sustainablekaipara.org
0274325423

About Sustainable Kaipara 

Sustainable Kaipara has been running local waste minimisation projects for the last four years in Kaipara. They work with schools, businesses and events to assess and implement waste minimisation solutions. The Mangawhai community compost collects food scraps from 50 households and businesses locally to divert this important resource from landfill and create nutrient rich compost that goes back into our local soils. Their multidisciplinary team consists of scientists, communicators, designers and facilitators. 

Recent posts
Why repairing is good for people AND planet

Why repairing is good for people AND planet

If enjoying a cup of tea and biccie in the sun while your trusty trousers or old kettle get repaired, then Repair Cafes are the place for you.  Last Saturday we hosted our first Repair Cafe in partnership with the legends at the Mangawhai Shed. Repair Cafes have...

It’s International Compost Awareness week!

It’s International Compost Awareness week!

It is no secret that we are big fans of compost, so when compost awareness week comes around, we are happy to take the opportunity to spread the word! In Kaipara, 41% of our kerbside landfill waste is organic (compostable) - so we have a huge opportunity to be...

Why Waste-to-Energy is Not the Solution for Our Future

Why Waste-to-Energy is Not the Solution for Our Future

Waste-to-energy (WTE) has been promoted as a solution to our growing waste problem, but recent studies show that it is not a viable long-term solution. In fact, it poses more harm than good to the environment and public health. Sustainable Kaipara is responding to the...

Let’s move on from single-use!

Let’s move on from single-use!

Recycling is largely ingrained in our society as part of keeping our environment safe, clean and reducing harm. However, reducing consumption and removing single use items from our economy is far more impactful. Transitioning from the linear economy - where we take...

Ngā mihi o te wā – Happy Christmas and New Year!

Ngā mihi o te wā – Happy Christmas and New Year!

Looking back on 2022 it’s easy to see that there’s still so much work to do to rethink the way we use resources and regenerate our planet - so we are glad to be reminded by the legends at Future Crunch that in 2022: “…millions of people from every corner of the planet...

Categories