Paeroa fix-it team see potential of life before landfill
Before you dump that broken furniture, ask yourself , “can this be fixed?” Paeroa has a new environmental enterprise to help cut waste to landfill and teach skills that will “empower the community to become more resilient and sustainable”.
And it is handily located on the way to Paeroa’s Transfer Station.
”Why keep buying something new when all you need to do is repair?,” asks Hauraki Repair and Reuse Centre chairwoman Alli Mitchell.
The new centre — which offers a repair centre, a dropoff zone, an information hub, and soon a tool library and shop — opened to the public at Easter.
The centre is on the corner of Grey St and Opatito Rd. Alli says it’s an easy to stop on the way to the transfer station to see what can be reused or repurposed, which will reduce the cost of your dumping fees.
“We started the reuse centre because the Tirohia landfill was filling up so we saw the need to reduce our use of the landfill to protect the environment, save money and to reuse our resources.
“We also love the recycling Seagull Centre in Thames and took our inspiration from it.”
The fruition of the centre has been a long time coming. The charitable trust has been working towards its goal for three years.
The initial plan was to set up shop at the transfer station but plans were dashed due to flooding issues.
The trustees just wanted to get the ball rolling so went ahead with leasing the new site for one year.
The repair centre has an emphasis on teaching people to learn how to fix things. People bring in their items for
repair and volunteers offer their time to teach things such as mending clothes, wooden furniture, toys or fixing simple tools. More volunteers are most welcome, Alli says.
The drop-off zone will accept clean, resaleable goods in working order including household goods, furniture, clothes, bedding, electronics, whiteware, tools, building material, books and craftware,
textiles, gardening, car batteries, paint and bicycles.
A shop will be open soon where people can buy these fixed and spruced up items.
There is a sewing room dedicated to textile repairs and upcycling.
A spade and knife sharpening service is available. Demonstrations on upcycling will be given and the team hope to run workshops in the
near future. The info hub offers recycling advice. The tool library will be open soon.
Alli says it’s been great just to get the doors open and talk to people what it’s all about.
The reuse centre, 1 Grey St, is open at weekends from 10.30am to 2pm with the intent on extending its hours soon.
For more information visit the Hauraki Repair and Reuse Centre Facebook page.