Ways to reduce your waste
There are things you can do to lower your environmental footprint. Here are some ideas.
Composting
One way to reduce your waste is to compost. Composting is not only good for the garden but good for the planet. Composting also helps reduce the amount of rubbish you throw away, which saves you money on those yellow bags and can cut the amount of waste going into our landfills by about 35 per cent.
Recycle old water tanks
With so many rural properties across our district, old or damaged water tanks are a common challenge. The good news is there is a way to keep them out of landfill. If you have a water tank that needs to be disposed of, you can recycle it with Vision Plastics. They specialise in recycling large rotomoulded items, including:
- Water tanks
- Kayaks
- Traffic barriers
- Heavy-duty coolers
- Mussel floats
If you’ve got one or a few lying around, team up with your neighbours and organise a collection. While costs may apply, it’s a simple way to reduce waste, support recycling initiatives, and protect our environment.
Recycle old mobile phones at South Wairarapa Libraries
Did you know our three South Wairarapa Libraries in Featherston, Greytown and Martinborough offer more than just books?
Drop off your old mobile phones at our libraries so they can be recycled through RE:MOBILE, Aotearoa’s only accredited mobile phone recycling programme. The recycling boxes at each library accepts all mobile phones – regardless of their working order.
Each phone is evaluated, data erased, and SIM/memory card safely destroyed. Phones that can still serve are refurbished, finding purpose as affordable handsets in regions like Africa and Asia. Phones beyond refurbishment are recycled, with 95 percent of their materials finding life in the creation of other products.
All funds generated assist with Sustainable Coastlines efforts to preserve and restore our beaches and waterways.
Recycle old eyeglasses at Featherston and Martinborough libraries
If you have eyeglasses that are no longer needed lying around your home, take them to one of our libraries and change another person’s life.
There are eyeglasses recycling boxes currently at Featherston Library and Martinborough Library – waiting for your old (but still usable) eyeglasses to be dropped in.
The initiative is run by the Lions Club New Zealand, with the aim to prevent avoidable blindness and improve quality of life for people who are blind and visually impaired.
Prescription and reading glasses, sunglasses, and plastic and metal frames are all accepted. Children’s glasses are especially needed. Lions Clubs throughout New Zealand collect these unwanted spectacles and send them to processing centres where they are sorted, checked for scratches and cracks, have screws tightened and are washed before having their prescription recorded.
Then they are packed for delivery to volunteer ophthalmologists for distribution to those with poor eyesight in the Pacific Islands.