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Last modified: 22 Mar 2023 10:39am

front on view of classroom building with two house shaped wooden pergolas in front of either wing and a giant sign in the middle saying Re Discover

A transformation of waste is beginning in Selwyn with the opening of a new centre to encourage people to think differently about how we live and what we leave behind.

ReDiscover — based at the Pines Resource Recovery Park near Rolleston — is Selwyn’s first waste minimisation educational facility, offering free waste minimisation and sustainability programmes for schools and community groups across the Selwyn district.

The on-site and outreach programmes are designed around the themes of 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover,' incorporating the concept of a circular economy. The buildings themselves — old, relocated classroom blocks — are a practical example of what can be achieved by rethinking waste. Fit out elements have been selected carefully to minimise the environmental impact. From handrails made from discarded golf clubs to table frames from a demolished school, everything possible has been sourced second-hand, reused or made from recycled materials — with sustainable choices for any remaining materials that had to be sourced new.

Even the car park was made incorporating the use of recycled asphalt and plastic oil containers and waste engine oil. The aim of ReDiscover is to be a place of community, education and creativity. It’s part of the wider ReConnect project at the Pines Resource Recovery Park, providing the Selwyn community with practical ways to think differently about waste, Council’s Waste & Sustainability Educator Elizabeth Lovell says.

The future wider project plan includes a community garden hub, reuse shop, a tool lendery and maker spaces, kitted out with tools to repair, refurbish, repurpose or upcycle items that would have otherwise be landfilled.

“As a Council we don’t have a lot of influence over manufacturers or the packaging that they use, but we can help people to become more aware of the products they purchase, the impacts those have and some of the alternatives,” says Resource Recovery and Waste Manager Andrew Boyd.

ReDiscover will officially open on Sunday 2 April, with an open day from 10am–2pm where you can take part in fun interactive activities that will make you think twice about what you put in the rubbish bin. You’ll also be able to have a look inside a kerbside recycling truck and learn more about the ReConnect project.