After Several Years of Planning and Patience, Wāhi Tukurua has Reached an Exciting Milestone.
The Ministry for the Environment and Wāhi Tukurua have signed a refreshed Memorandum of Understanding, allowing work to move forward on a Building and Construction Resource Recovery Facility alongside the new Refuse Transfer Station in Whitianga. While it’s a significant achievement for the project, it’s also an important step for our wider community.
Building and demolition materials make up one of New Zealand’s largest waste streams, yet many items such as timber, windows, doors, cabinetry and fixtures still have plenty of life left in them. Rather than heading to landfill, these materials can be recovered, reused and given a second chance.
Once operational, the facility will provide builders, renovators and residents with a practical way to divert reusable materials from landfill while making affordable building supplies available for community projects, repairs and future construction.
For Wāhi Tukurua, this has always been about more than waste.
It’s about keeping valuable resources in circulation, reducing environmental impact, and building a stronger circular economy for Mercury Bay and the wider Thames-Coromandel.
As the project progresses, there will be opportunities for local businesses, tradies, volunteers and community groups to become involved.
After years of waiting, it’s exciting to see this vision becoming a reality.
Words by Tracey Bell
Words by Tracey Bell – Chair – Mercury bay Resource Recovery Centre Trust
