CReW picks up construction pieces
20 March 2015
DEMOLITION: Kawerau District Council maintenance supervisor Peter Robertson sorts material from the Firmin Field changing rooms for re-use via Community Resources Whakatane (CReW). Photo Louis Klaassen D1844-11
COMMUNITY Resources Whakatane (CReW) has kicked off its collection of construction and demolition materials by collaborating with Kawerau District Council to re-use parts of the Firmin Field’s changing rooms.
The building is being refurbished into accommodation and a meeting room and CReW is going to be there to pick up the pieces.
“Kawerau District Council are passionate about reducing material to landfill so the project is a natural fit,” council operations manager Tom McDowall said.
“We have seen the project develop from the original funding proposal to the regional council and we are delighted to be the first site to utilise this service. We’ll give them advice for developments and any improvements.”
CReW founder Marcus Baker said CReW always had a demolition yard and the re-usable building materials were one of their most popular areas.
“Now we are able to enormously increase the amount of building materials available for re-use from CReW,” he said.
In October 2014, CReW received funding from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s waste fund and from Whakatane District Council to establish a construction and demolition materials collection service.
The aim is to reduce the large amount of this waste sent to landfill, while providing re-usable construction items for resale.
Construction materials are one of the regional council’s priority waste streams and the CReW service will help to alleviate a difficult problem.
CReW has converted a tandem trailer into a specialised collection vehicle. Tradespeople will fill it with re-usable items destined for CReW, instead of the landfill.
“We are encouraging builders to get in touch when they are planning a job so we can make sure as much material as possible can be re-used by the community, rather than being wasted,” Mr Baker said.
“It makes sense environmentally and financially while providing a great resource to others.”
Opening hours at the Te Tahi Street yard have been extended to include Sunday to provide more opportunities for people to pick up construction materials.
Source: Whakatane Beacon