Pop-up gets thumbs up from boaties

Boaties are being reminded to make the most of a ‘pop-up’ rubbish and recycling centre being trialled at Kororāreka Russell Wharf before the service closes this weekend.

The service opened on Boxing Day for a three-week trial with the goal of keeping the historic town spic and span during the peak summer tourist season by reducing rubbish deposited in public bins. Early indications are that the service has been a huge success, diverting more than 3000 litres of recycling in the first 10 days of operation. The 20-day trial closes this Sunday 14 January.

Aimed primarily as an alternative to the summer rubbish barge used by boaties visiting the Bay of Islands, the pop-up service is also open to anyone with recycling or general rubbish. Disposing of recyclables at the facility is free, while a fee is applied for general rubbish disposal.

Half way into the trial, more than 58 general rubbish bags had been deposited with the facility, while 10 wheelie bins of recycling and one extra-big bin of cardboard had been diverted to the local transfer station. That’s the equivalent of more than 3000 one-litre drink bottles kept out of landfill.

Operated daily from 10am to 4pm by a local family, the initiative is a partnership between community group, Resilient Russell, and the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board. Northland Waste is providing the bins free of charge, while Far North Holdings Ltd (the council’s commercial arm) is contributing to the cost of the temporary centre along with Russell Kororāreka Kaitiaki Wharf Trust. Local business Hone's Pizza Garden is transporting the bins to the refuse transfer station.

In past summers, the town’s litter bins have quickly become full to overflowing despite being emptied several times a day by contractors.

Photo below – a local family are contracted to manage the pop up.