The team at Res.Awesome love supporting community reuse in action. Moving towards zero-waste means taking many pathways and investing in multiple solutions. Creating results that are higher up the zero-waste hierarchy than just recycling.

Refuse and Reuse is at the top of the zero waste hierarchy, and these are new old skills that we need to rediscover and part of our infrastructure system we must invest in. We are pleased to see that there is investment happening in this space locally from the Dunedin City Council. With these new upgrades to our curbside recycling systems being put in place over the coming years, we also need to invest in a reuse economy for all the other stuff that needs to be rehomed, and rediscover others’ treasures.

This is why we at Res.Awesome support and are now collaborating with The Restore Dunedin, our Kaiwhakaara Fi was invited to join the Restore Dunedin’s committee table as they go through some exciting upgrades.

The Restore Dunedin supports Habitat for Humanity’s Dunedin efforts to support the community with low-cost housing and housing repair.

Habitat for Humanity New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with people of goodwill and families in housing need, to eliminate sub-standard housing.

When you shop or donate goods to the Restore you are supporting your local community to have better housing. Now that is Reuse in action.

Achieving a circular waste economy will require action on many levels and will mean we must transition to using only renewable materials and energy sources. A zero-waste way of life will mean adopting new habits… and recycling is just one part of a much more comprehensive waste minimisation process. When looking at the zero-waste hierarchy, recycling actually sits pretty low on the list!

Understanding what can be recycled can be a bit tricky, especially as it varies from region to region. If you are struggling, you may find it helpful to search up your local council website and do a little digging. If that sounds too hard, you’ve come to the right place.

Most Res.Awesome followers can agree that Aotearoa is in need of a more capable waste infrastructure system. Some of you may not know that we are moving towards a nationally standardised recycling system. Until then, maybe it is a good idea to come to grips with what can be recycled in your region; as at the moment, there are some regional discrepancies.

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!

The team at Res.Awesome is excited to announce our upcoming event, The Waste Warrior Workshop which will be held on February 16th. This workshop is specifically designed to encourage behaviour change - which is the key component in reducing Aotearoa’s waste flow. Knowing what can be recycled and how is the first step in ensuring we are recycling responsibly. In this workshop we cover a wide variety of topics. We will learn about where our products come from and the materials used to make them. We will cover where our waste goes and explore the whole system; from the extraction of resources, to disposal.

The global population has recently turned its collective attention to the imminent threat of global warming and the dire effects it will have on our flora, fauna and iwi. It is no wonder most businesses are concerned about maintaining a clean, green image. To turn a blind eye to the damage being done to our world, would seem callous and uncaring - which would not be good for business!

The team at Res.Awesome would like to draw our followers’ attention to a retailer in New Zealand making great strides towards a circular waste system. Mitre 10 have launched a new initiative designed to keep plant pots out of our landfills. Mitre 10’s Pot Recycle is a practical closed-loop solution designed to stop plant and seedling pots ending up in landfills. This scheme has rolled out nationwide for your convenience! New Zealand has seen many kiwi’s fall back in love with gardening, partly due to lockdowns and more people working from home. We are stoked to see more kiwi’s spending time with their hands in the dirt; getting back to nature.

Forking over our hard-earned cash for new household appliances is something that can quite easily send some of us into a tailspin. Perusing the aisles of Briscoes comparing warranty offers and sniffing out good deals is all part of the routine. We do everything we can to avoid wasting our dollars on an item that may not stand the test of time.

Unfortunately, replacing faulty or worn-out appliances and technology is something we have grown rather used to. The good old days of buying products built to test the tale of time are long over, with “lifetime guarantees” reserved for $450 pairs of boots or rare scores found in the dead of night after hours of scrolling through web forums.

When it comes to Recycling, us kiwi’s would love to think we are upholding the clean, green identity Aotearoa is so famed for. Unfortunately, the results of a recent Consumer NZ led assessment revealed that New Zealand is pretty low on the environmental leader board. Brazil and New Zealand proved to be the worst countries for practical recycling rates; we don’t have the means to recycle around 57% of our packaging and Brazil is unable to process 92% of its recycling. The countries with the best recycling rates were Hong Kong, closely followed by Portugal.

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.