April 26th Food Waste Day, and it’s a good reminder that most of us aren’t wasting food on purpose… it just kind of happens. Busy lives, good intentions, and a few forgotten leftovers later — and suddenly it adds up.

The good news? We don’t need to be perfect to make a difference.

We’ve just reached six months of trading as a community Resource Recovery Centre — and what a six months it’s been.

When it comes to textiles, we’re wasting a lot. And I mean a lot.

Textiles are now one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world, and Aotearoa New Zealand is no exception.

What can we do about this problem?

If you’re clearing out older linen at home, remember – even when sheets and blankets have seen better days, they can still be incredibly useful. Before tossing them out, think about how they might be reused, repurposed or given a second life.

A couple of years ago, I bought a denim skirt online. It was cheap — about a tenth of the price of the one I really wanted. Apparently, I had just dipped my toe into the world of fast fashion. I genuinely didn’t know what that meant. It had taken weeks to arrive from China — hardly “fast,” I thought…

Something powerful is happening behind the scenes. Recently, local reuse and resell groups gathered to share ideas, challenges, and opportunities - and the message was clear: collaboration is key.

They arrive rattling, leaking, or completely silent. Most people would call them rubbish. We call them opportunity. Over the past three months, thirteen washing machines have come through our doors, proving that “broken” is often just the beginning of the story.

Every great hero has an arch-enemy.

Sherlock has Moriarty.

Harry has Voldemort.

And here at our warehouse?

We have… The Fadge.
Not just any fadge — THE FADGE.

A large, lumpy bag full of the plastic bits and bobs from e-waste that even we cannot rescue, refurbish, reinvent, or turn into a stylish coffee table.

Recently, someone said to me, “I’d love to help out somewhere, but I’m not really the board type.” Whatever that means.

Let’s bust a few myths.

If you can listen, ask good questions, and genuinely want to make your town a bit better than it was yesterday — congratulations, you’re the board type.

If you’ve ever wandered into Wāhi Tukurua or one of our other Resource Recovery Centre shops and thought, “This feels a bit like an op-shop… but also not,” you’re absolutely right. It’s a common question—and a great one.

On Saturday, September 20th, Wāhi Tukurua is inviting the whole community to take part in World Cleanup Day 2025 — and together, we’re aiming for our biggest haul yet: over 2,000kg of waste removed from our beaches, waterways, streets, and reserves in just three hours.

Big news for Mercury Bay! Wāhi Tukurua has secured an interim site at 239 South Highway, Whitianga – right next to the Refuse Transfer Station – where we’ll be working hard to rescue quality, reusable items from heading to landfill. This is a big step in our mission to reduce waste, support sustainability, and give good things a second life.

Let’s come together to celebrate good food, reduce waste, and reconnect with the joy of eating well. Find out more about May’s Food Appreciation Month!

Over the past year, we’ve embarked on an incredible journey to turn waste into action and build a resilient, sustainable future for our community. Every campaign, event, and initiative we’ve undertaken has been a deliberate step towards achieving this vision. As we prepare to open our new Resource Recovery Centre in 2025, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on how far we’ve come—and where we’re headed next.

Eggcentric Café operators Sam Fowell and Rachel Saunders offered free cake and coffee along with entry into a prize draw to incentivise people to either sit in or bring their own reusable cup. They now hope people will continue to question using the plastic-lined throw-away options and ask themselves – ‘Where does my rubbish go when I’m finished with it?’ 

This year, our efforts have centered around reducing the use of throwaway cups in Mercury Bay by building strong relationships with local cafes, running public education events, and spreading the word. It’s been hours of hard work, all driven by passionate volunteers, and to come away with a win at the Hauaraki Coromandel Business Awards is incredibly rewarding!

Saturday 21^st September was a bit of a mixed bag weather wise – in true spring fashion, we had some beautiful sunshine and a few heavy rainfalls.  But it did not deter the Wāhi Tukurua team and more than 50 volunteers at the Cleanup Day Whitianga event. Spurred on by the great sounds from the Coromandel CFM caravan, the Cleanup Day crew spread out across beaches, parks, streets and roads to clear Whitianga town and surrounds of carelessly discarded waste.

Wāhi Tukurua is thrilled to announce our second annual World Cleanup Day event on Saturday, 21st September 2024. Last year, our community came together in a remarkable way, with 65 dedicated volunteers collecting an astounding 880 kilograms of waste from our beautiful beaches, parks, and streets. This year, we’re aiming even higher, and we need your help to make it happen!

The inaugural ‘Thirsty Thursday’ event kicked off this week at Nook Grocer + Refills. The support from locals and visitors alike shows a growing awareness of the environmental impact of single-use cups and a willingness to adopt reusable alternatives.

With an estimated 250,000 Throwaway / Single-Use-Cups (SUC) going to landfill each year in Mercury Bay, the Wahi Tukurua / Mercury Bay Resource Recovery Team and coffee selling friends are on a mission to change the way we have our coffee – reducing waste, one cup at a time!

Read more about the event in this blog article.