Sustainable solutions: Junk Run – sending junk to a better place

You may have seen the green and blue striped Junk Run van around Titirangi and like me, wondered what they do. I recently met General Manager Ruth Boyes who lives locally to find out how Junk Run lives up to their motto Hate Waste, Love Sustainability.

Junk Run was originally founded in 2005. Owners, Fionna Gotts and her business partner Helen Melrose purchased it in 2010 and have greatly enhanced its sustainability focus. Fionna is passionate about environmental sustainability and giving back to the community so the opportunity to develop Junk Run as an environmentally sustainable business was too good to resist. Their entire existence and financial model is based on ensuring the waste they pick up doesn’t go to landfill and, because they genuinely care about the environment, every staff member – including the owners – takes turns at being out on the front line. 

Their mission to “send junk to a better place” lies at the heart of everything Junk Run does – so much so that they aim to divert from landfill at least 70% of everything they collect.

They hand-sort and separate all waste items on site as they collect. This ensures items are redirected to the most suitable recovery facilities. Cameras on all the trucks photograph every part of a junk collection job – from pick up, through to where it finally ends up, meaning keeping track of the waste is recorded every step of the way with a unique real time reporting system.

This reporting allows customers to maximise their waste minimisation credits for green building projects and to track their own performance on waste management. Junk Run’s clients also share the reports with their staff, customers and stakeholders which in turn is causing a cultural shift in awareness.

The Trusts have announced that experienced communityenterprise executive Allan Pollard (left) will be its new CEO.

Allan’s appointment comes after the previous CEO, Simon Wickham resigned last December after nine years in the role.

Originally from Glasgow, Allan began in the hospitality sector as a dishwasher when he was 16 years old and has worked through various roles before becoming CEO of Trust House Ltd in 2013.

Trust House Ltd is a community-owned company based in the Wairarapa which operates a range of hospitality businesses in the Wairarapa, Pahiatua, Flaxmere and Porirua. They also own and manage a large social housing portfolio.

Allan said that he was excited about the opportunity to work with The Trusts.

“The Trusts is all about giving back to the community it serves, so I feel privileged to be offered such a rewarding role. I’m looking forward to getting to know the people of West Auckland, including The Trusts team, and helping the organisation continue to be a long-term force for good.” The company’s services include inorganic, commercial, residential, construction and demolition rubbish removal and waste collection. Of the 30% of waste that can’t be rehomed, the majority tends to be broken and/ or dated MDF items, which are virtually impossible to reuse or recycle. Cheap broken plastic junk is also impossible to find homes for.

Junk Run does a lot of residential collections from eco-conscious West Auckland homeowners, and you’ll see Junk Run regularly working with construction companies doing de-fit and refit work at Lynnmall, and in the Rosebank Road area. (Many of the team are Westies.)

The company is also keen to help local communities and community organisations. The waste it collects is donated to many great causes which can either reuse or on-sell it. Among the not-for-profit partners are Auckland City Mission, Hospice, Habitat for Humanity and Take My Hands.

Some examples of re-homed items that benefited smaller community organisations include: • Sewing machines and several deliveries of fabric to a women’s refuge organisation. These were used to help set up a sewing skills workshop so that abused women could learn skills to enable employment and create clothing for their families. • A truck full of child-sized furniture, dress-up materials and art materials for a community-based childcare organisation. • A large amount of unwanted camping gear and sleeping bags were passed to an organisation that helps homeless people. • Hospital beds and equipment has been given to a charity that is 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 their own homes Junk Run believes recycling is just a small step in the right direction and that much more should be done: • Many businesses waste money on poorly-thought out purchases which then have to be dumped. • Buying cheap stuff, which quickly breaks and needs replacing is a major problem. • Many people turn a blind eye to what really happens to their waste, resulting in a lot of “sustainably managed” waste actually getting taken to landfills. • Skip bins are another cause for concern because a lot of reusable waste gets broken, wet and/or irreparably damaged by the skip bin process). Junk Run has long-term strategic partnership with the Abilities Group, a non-profit organisation dedicated to enriching the lives of people with disabilities. Abilities recycles all manner of e-waste and electric goods and provides employment for people that otherwise would not be able to work.

Over the past decade Junk Run has built up a network and database of potential recipients for waste. They also have a list of requests, which is revisited every week. Their fall back is to store the item until they can find a home for it.

If you’re thinking of moving house, cleaning out a rental property, down sizing, decluttering, or your office is moving, your retail space being refitted, or your construction project has been completed, enlisting Junk Run to rehome your rubbish could save you time and hassle – and help one or more charities. The team at Junk Run, sending waste to a better place.