The operators of a recycling plant have rejected claims they are disposing of toxic materials in a former sand quarry at the back of Aotearoa Industrial Park.
See: Quarry complaints levelled
Concrete and steel is being recycled.
A $6.4 million project, alongside the new Cambridge Waste and Water Treatment plant and less than 350 metres from the Waikato River, will divert 51,000 tonnes of construction waste from landfill, ResourceCo director Henry Fullerton-Smith of Piopio says.
Waipā District Council issued a resource consent last year to the company, previously called Wasteworx, to operate in the rural zone on 3ha at 3831 Cambridge Rd. Conditions include employing a suitably qualified and experienced practitioner if contamination is found and a list of daily truck movements.
The company has since been renamed ResourceCo and been awarded $2.57 million from the government’s Waste Minimisation Fund to build New Zealand’s first dedicated construction and demolition recycling plant.
Once fully operational, the plant will process up to 187,200 tonnes of waste annually turning timber, concrete, gib, plastic and metal into biofuel, fertiliser, roading aggregate and landscaping material.
An aerial shot showing the site in Cambridge Rd near the Waikato River and Kaipaki Rd residents. Photo: Google Earth
In a statement, Fullerton-Smith said 14 jobs had been created and engagement with local iwi Ngāti Korokī Kahukura undertaken.
ResourceCo was working towards a memorandum of understanding that reflecteds shared values around environmental care, skills training, and youth development, alongside progressing a cultural impact assessment, the statement said.
“This isn’t just about managing waste better, it’s an initiative that supports both the community and employment,” says Fullerton-Smith.
“We’re proud to have the government’s backing to turn waste into value and leave a cleaner legacy for our region.”
The quarry operated for years on the site extracting sand behind Greenscape Products. It had been thought it would be reinstated as pastureland in keeping with the environmental practices at the water treatment plant.
But last year, with new owners, it was granted a resource consent with council staff saying it would have “less than minor” adverse effects on the environment.
The application was processed on a non-notified based and approved under delegated authority without the need for a council hearing.
The company paid a $87,890 development contribution.
Prohibited waste includes asbestos which neighbours allege has been reported on the site but ResourceCo rejects.
“ResourceCo is operating within its resource consent conditions. This project will offer long-term benefits for the region,” Fullerton-Smith said.
Concrete and steel is being recycled.
