While the team at Res.Awesome has a long list of goals to achieve that will benefit our community, the main objective involves seeing Dunedin become a Zero Waste city. To achieve this goal, we must have a clear idea of what we are working towards. It’s all well and good knowing that the current system isn’t working and needs to be ditched; but what the heck do we replace it with? Res.Awesome are here to share our vision of a beautiful Zero Waste Otepoti!

When it comes to living a zero waste or simply, sustainable life there are many things that appear to get in the way of our mission. There are also many factors that seem to help us on our journey. The team at Res.Awesome would like to take this opportunity to explore some barriers that hinder our progress and on the flipside, some motivators that fuel our momentum.

Recycle A Device is an initiative aiming to reuse our resources, improve public knowledge and facilitate change in the technology sector from a community based perspective. Recycle A Device encourages businesses, schools, learning institutions and individuals to participate in a circular waste economy. Upcoming updates in stewardship regulations will hopefully become better understood by our communities, enabling best sustainability practices.

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"MOANA HOUSE IS A WELL-ESTABLISHED RESIDENTIAL THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY FOR ADULT MALE OFFENDERS WHO WANT TO CHANGE THEIR LIVES AND BEHAVIOUR FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THEMSELVES, THEIR WHANAU AND THEIR COMMUNITIES."

"Since 1984, we have taken the initiative to provide genuine therapeutic services for adult male offenders who wish to change their lives for the greater good."

Many of Moana House’s residents may also have a history of alcohol and/or drug abuse. They wish to provide a supportive family environment and a safe place to change.

The sun is shining here in the deep south which means silly season is upon us! Many of us are privileged enough to have some time off and a bit of pocket money to play with, allowing us to feast and frolic with loved ones. We get away with socialising more, saying ‘heck yes!’ to dessert and even popping open that cheap bottle of bubbles before midday. Afternoon naps, long bushwalks and taking any opportunity to whip out our favourite set of frightfully tiny togs to embarrass the better half with are just a handful of activities we may find ourselves indulging in over summer. One area of our lives we hope we won’t get too carried away with this silly season is the amount of waste we bring into our homes. If you are struggling to think of a gift idea for that person who just seems to have everything, try and resist the urge to run out and buy a silly, novelty gift that will probably end up shoved in a drawer somewhere…. or worse, in a landfill! For many, gifting is a ceremonial way of showing we care and a part of Christmas time we are just not ready to part with. So the team at Res.Awesome are here to share some tips on how to keep the waste flow not-so-silly this silly season!

As a planet, we churn out 2.01 billion tonnes of waste every year, with over 33% of which not being dealt with in a manner deemed environmentally safe (World Bank Group, 2020). Each resident of Aotearoa pumps around 401kgs of waste into our landfills every year - and that is just in a domestic setting. That doesn’t take into account our workplace waste or the rubbish we produce when we are out and about. Often we are doing damage to our natural environment without even realising it. This makes the sustainability movement very important so what exactly is zero waste?

We are here to talk about the latest proposal for a $350 million project which entails building a Waste to Energy Plant in Waimate. This proposed ‘solution’ to our waste problem would aim to see our waste transported to Waimate by the truckload and then incinerated; harvesting energy to be pumped back into Kiwi homes and various businesses via electricity. While this is a lovely idea that many believe would see our waste problem disappear, the facts just do not support that there are benefits to this business venture.

Our Kaiwhakahaere Fi is off to Wanaka! Fi will be lending her voice to speak at the WAO Summit which is a six-day annual event that aims to inspire, educate and dive into all things Zero Waste. Res.Awesome and the team behind the WAO summit are here to help Aotearoa reduce waste and become home to thriving carbon zero communities.

Fi is stoked to join the team at the WAO summit in our shared kaupapa; to empower people on their journey towards raising awareness about climate justice and facilitating community collaboration all over Aotearoa. We are living through a period of massive change which has been influenced by the threats of climate change, the economic pressures suffered by many and the measures taken to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. This time throws many challenges our way along with many opportunities for positive change!

The environmental impact of plastic has become a growing concern worldwide and here in Aotearoa. To uphold the belief that Kiwi’s are clean, green and environmentally conscious we must show respect for our land and ensure that the future production, consumption and disposal of plastics follow sustainable guidelines. One of the biggest barriers we currently face as a community is the lack of public knowledge around the different kinds of plastic. This blog post is dedicated to informing our readers about the different ways we can dispose of our plastic. We think is a good place to start when tackling our plastic problem.

At Res.Awesome we are all about showing appreciation for like-minded people in the community, those who are doing their best to tackle Dunedin’s waste flow. The humans at Connections Centre are doing valiant work and we want to use our platform to showcase their amazing community project. Connections Centre is a community-based support centre for people with increased needs due to intellectual and/or physical disabilities. Their kaupapa is to facilitate meaningful and active participation in community life with a holistic and collaborative approach. The folk here work to ensure the most vulnerable members of our community have access to all the resources they need to express themselves creatively. They offer excellent resources, well-qualified staff and a warm welcoming environment.

Dunedin has an ambitious goal to become a zero waste city by 2030 and the team at Res.Awesome have an exciting project in the works to help get us there. Tackling our waste problem will require action at all levels; government, local council, businesses and individual consumers. A significant contributor to our local waste problem is Ōtepoti’s food and beverage industry. We believe with a few simple steps, this can change. The hospitality industry’s adoption of single-use products has become a normalised part of dining out culture and our Rewash Truck is just the solution.