A buzz with battery recycling

Hawarden members of the Menzshed have caused a buzz with battery recycling in Hurunui.

They’ve been building battery recycling bins for the Cheviot, Culverden, Hanmer Springs and Waiau transfer stations, which will be delivered to the sites in the next couple of weeks.

The bins are for household batteries, being built following the success of a recent battery recycling bin initiative at Amberley transfer station. Batteries can also be dropped at the Hanmer Springs, Cheviot and Amuri libraries during opening hours.

During the 2021 – 2022 financial year, 450kg of household batteries were received for recycling, thanks to these options.

Mayor Marie Black was delighted to visit the Menzshed and catch up with the relatively newly formed group, seeing the progress they had made.

“It was a credit to their commitment, it was great to sit down and have a cuppa with them,” she said.

The group has been fortunate to receive funding support from a variety of avenues, which has significantly enabled them to have the equipment to complete some of the projects.

“It is wonderful that the Hurunui District Council has partnered with the Hawarden Waikari Menzshed in their recycling venture, this will no doubt bring many benefits.”

These bins are being funded by Hurunui District Council’s reimbursement from the Landfill Levy, a revenue raised by the government to reduce waste and encourage resource recovery by recognising that disposal of waste to landfill imposes costs on the environment, society and the economy.

“This is a great option to eliminate household batteries being placed in the rubbish or recycling bags, where they could potentially contaminate the recycling, or could cause a fire.”