Waitangi Day 2025 has been another important success for EcoSolutions, a CBEC enterprise, contracted with the task of collecting all ‘waste’ created on the day, with help from Para Kore, Tai Tokerau Timebank and a team of volunteers.
Arriving soon after dawn, ‘recycle stations’ were set up around the Treaty Grounds and Te Tii Marae Waitangi, by the team of willing volunteers. The weather was perfect, the atmosphere calm and the universal feeling was of unity and enjoyment.
The recycle stations consist of 3 options for people to choose where their ‘rubbish’ goes – para kai (compost), hangarua (recycling) and rāpihi (landfill). The Waste Wizard Waste Wizards see-through bags with clearly written and picture labelling proved to be a huge improvement on previous years. At the Waka station down by the moana we experienced a dramatic improvement in everyone’s attitude and understanding of what went into which bag!
Having worked at the Waka Station for 7 years, the change in people’s behaviour was thrilling noticeable! There was so much gratitude for what we were doing, many kids walked confidently up to the bags, looked at the signage and chose the right bins.
The reduction in ‘waste’ to landfill over the years has increased in leaps and bounds! This year we didn’t even fill 1 rāpihi bag the whole day (roughly 7 hours). I guess that at the Waka station, roughly 85% was para kai, 10% hangarua and 5% rāpihi. I feel this reflects the hard work that goes on by EcoSolutions with their various programmes and projects.
An exciting new addition to the options was the wonderful Wash not Waste set up. Re-usable mugs, plates and bottles were offered to stall holders as well as the public from a cute little caravan down at the Waka site. Collection tables were set up around the Waka field as drop off points for dirty dishes. We were very happy to see people using this option – and hope it expands in the coming years!
Contrast this with the ‘stand-alone’ wheelie bins with coloured lids that got everything dropped into them – all mixed together… This makes for a very unpleasant job of sorting the contamination – gloves, loss of smell, teamwork and a sense of humour help to make the job bearable! Also knowing that the mahi is so worthwhile and done with respect for papatūānuku.
A huge shout out to everyone for making Waitangi Day an almost para kore / zero waste event and for leaving the Treaty Grounds in the pristine and respectful state that they deserve!
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