sustainable solutions with fiona drummond
Junk Run – sending junk to a better place You may have seen the green and The company’s services blue striped Junk Run van around include inorganic, commercial, Titirangi and like me, wondered residential, construction and what they do. I recently met demolition rubbish removal and General Manager Ruth Boyes who waste collection. Of the 30% of lives locally to find out how Junk waste that can’t be rehomed, the Run lives up to their motto Hate majority tends to be broken and/ Waste, Love Sustainability. or dated MDF items, which are Junk Run was originally founded virtually impossible to reuse or in 2005. Owners, Fionna Gotts and recycle. Cheap broken plastic junk her business partner Helen Melrose is also impossible to find homes purchased it in 2010 and have for. greatly enhanced its sustainability Junk Run does a lot of residential focus. Fionna is passionate about collections from eco-conscious environmental sustainability and The team at Junk Run, sending waste to a better place. West Auckland homeowners, and giving back to the community so the opportunity to develop Junk Run you’ll see Junk Run regularly working with construction companies as an environmentally sustainable business was too good to resist. doing de-fit and refit work at Lynnmall, and in the Rosebank Road area. Their entire existence and financial model is based on ensuring the (Many of the team are Westies.) waste they pick up doesn’t go to landfill and, because they genuinely The company is also keen to help local communities and community care about the environment, every staff member – including the organisations. The waste it collects is donated to many great causes owners – takes turns at being out on the front line. which can either reuse or on-sell it. Among the not-for-profit partners Their mission to “send junk to a better place” lies at the heart of are Auckland City Mission, Hospice, Habitat for Humanity and Take My everything Junk Run does – so much so that they aim to divert from Hands. landfill at least 70% of everything they collect. Some examples of re-homed items that benefited smaller community They hand-sort and separate all waste items on site as they collect. organisations include: This ensures items are redirected to the most suitable recovery • Sewing machines and several deliveries of fabric to a women’s facilities. Cameras on all the trucks photograph every part of a junk refuge organisation. These were used to help set up a sewing collection job – from pick up, through to where it finally ends up, skills workshop so that abused women could learn skills to meaning keeping track of the waste is recorded every step of the way enable employment and create clothing for their families. with a unique real time reporting system. • A truck full of child-sized furniture, dress-up materials and art This reporting allows customers to maximise their waste minimisation materials for a community-based childcare organisation. credits for green building projects and to track their own performance • A large amount of unwanted camping gear and sleeping bags on waste management. Junk Run’s clients also share the reports with were passed to an organisation that helps homeless people. their staff, customers and stakeholders which in turn is causing a • Hospital beds and equipment has been given to a charity that is cultural shift in awareness. setting up a women's clinic in Pakistan • Kitchens, bathrooms and building construction materials have been delivered to a not-for-profit that helps get people into The Trusts have announced their own homes that experienced communityJunk Run believes recycling is just a small step in the right direction enterprise executive Allan and that much more should be done: Pollard (left) will be its new • Many businesses waste money on poorly-thought out purchases CEO. which then have to be dumped. Allan’s appointment comes • Buying cheap stuff, which quickly breaks and needs replacing is after the previous CEO, a major problem. Simon Wickham resigned last • Many people turn a blind eye to what really happens to their December after nine years in waste, resulting in a lot of “sustainably managed” waste actually the role. getting taken to landfills. Originally from Glasgow, • Skip bins are another cause for concern because a lot of Allan began in the hospitality reusable waste gets broken, wet and/or irreparably damaged by sector as a dishwasher when the skip bin process). he was 16 years old and has Junk Run has long-term strategic partnership with the Abilities worked through various roles before becoming CEO of Trust House Group, a non-profit organisation dedicated to enriching the lives of Ltd in 2013. people with disabilities. Abilities recycles all manner of e-waste and Trust House Ltd is a community-owned company based in the electric goods and provides employment for people that otherwise Wairarapa which operates a range of hospitality businesses in the would not be able to work. Wairarapa, Pahiatua, Flaxmere and Porirua. They also own and Over the past decade Junk Run has built up a network and database manage a large social housing portfolio. of potential recipients for waste. They also have a list of requests, Allan said that he was excited about the opportunity to work which is revisited every week. Their fall back is to store the item until with The Trusts. they can find a home for it. “The Trusts is all about giving back to the community it serves, If you’re thinking of moving house, cleaning out a rental property, so I feel privileged to be offered such a rewarding role. I’m looking down sizing, decluttering, or your office is moving, your retail space forward to getting to know the people of West Auckland, including being refitted, or your construction project has been completed, The Trusts team, and helping the organisation continue to be a enlisting Junk Run to rehome your rubbish could save you time and long-term force for good.” hassle – and help one or more charities.
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The Fringe APRIL 2020
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