Sustainable solutions: Product stewardship at work

The government’s recent declaration that tyres, electronic waste, plastic packaging, agrichemicals and their containers and refrigerants were “priority products” has the approval of the New Zealand Product Stewardship Council which sees it as a turning point in how the country manages products moving through our economy, and another step towards the circular, zero-waste future to which many of us aspire.

The law now requires that product stewardship schemes need to be developed for each of the declared priority products. This is the first time this requirement has been spelt out since the establishment of the Waste Minimisation Act in 2008.

When producers are responsible for their waste, it creates a real incentive to redesign products to be more reusable, repairable, recyclable, or waste-free. Product stewardship is the key to an increase in reusable packaging systems, to the use of materials that we can recycle on-shore, and to electronics we can actually repair.

The New Zealand Product Stewardship Council recommends that schemes go a step further than enhanced recycling, preferring more transformative systems that reduce and ultimately design out waste. Achieving this requires a focus on outcomes at the top of the waste hierarchy – preventing and reducing waste and reusing resources, with recycling being a last resort. Ecostore – refill and recycle

It is great to see some of the more eco-conscious organisations quickly taking their product stewardship to the next level. Ecostore have always complemented the sale of their household and body-care products with a nationwide network of refilling stations and they are now offering consumers a network of bottle drop locations where their containers can be returned, reducing pressure on Council’s recycling system. Locations are listed on their website: https://recall. ecostore.com/about.

EcoMatters in New Lynn has been a refill station out west for Ecostore products, along with GoodFor Wholefoods in Lynnmall. EcoMatters operate a ‘swap-abottle system’. Customers can bring in their clean empty Ecostore containers and purchase a refilled container of the same product, all ready to go. Staff wash and refill the returned empty containers and restock the shelves for the next person, a more convenient service than having people refill their own bottles.

They will also take all sizes of Ecostore bottles for recycling back to the company. The Ecostore products available at the EcoMatters store are listed at https:// www.ecomatters.org. nz/ecomatters-store/, together with their prices.

Ecostore sugarcane bottles can be dropped off

EcoMatters.

for the company to collect and recycle at a number of West Auckland venues, including: • EcoMatters Store, 1 Olympic Place, New Lynn • Blockhouse Bay Kindergarten, 5 Exminster Street, Blockhouse Bay • Huckleberry New Lynn, 34D Portage Road, New Lynn • Organics Out West, 39 Glenmall Place, Glen Eden • Blockhouse Bay Intermediate, 95 Bolton Street, Blockhouse Bay • Laingholm Kindergarten, 436a Huia Road,

Ecostore sugar cane bottles are refillable and recyclable at local depots. Photo by

Laingholm

>> Music is definitely my happy place Continued from page 14

“Some of my favourite musical moments are when we are weaving through the acoustic sounds – no gimmicks just real guitars! Mark is an amazing guitar player. We also use backing tracks for the more upbeat music, covering Fleetwood Mac, The Pretenders, Renee Geyer to name a few.”

Dana’s recent gigs have been local, including at the Titirangi Market, but she is starting to move further afield with upcoming solo gigs at The Kingslander and, with Night Moves, at Africa Bar on the North Shore. At the time of writing, she has her fingers crossed that they will still go ahead. “I don’t think you can go too far today without Covid-19 lingering somewhere in the background. Also in my work as a massage therapist and yoga teacher the government guidelines around Covid have brought everything to a halt. We are facing the unsettling truth that it’s not over. It’s hard to think this is the new normal, but hopefully it will soon pass.”

Although the music scene is radically different to days gone by, and gigs are few and far between, Dana is ever the optimist. “I have no doubt that where there is live music – there is hope! Looking forward, I am hoping to pick up afternoon café/restaurant work playing music to soothe the soul, whether solo or duo – or whatever musical opportunities arise. I never thought I’d play live music again and I’m really thankful to have it back in my life. It is definitely my happy place!”

You can contact Dana on 027 439 6400 or dsulikosky@gmail.com to enquire about her availability for gigs (or for massages!) and keep an eye on her Facebook page – Night Moves Duo – for info about their upcoming gigs.

Your Local MPs

Hon Carmel Sepuloni MP for Kelston

Kelston Electorate Office

200C West Coast Road, Glen Eden 09 818 4131 kelston.eo@parliament.govt.nz /CarmelSepuloniLabour @CarmelSepuloni Dr Deborah Russell MP for New Lynn

New Lynn Electorate Office

1885 Great North Rd, Avondale 09 820 6245 newlynnmp@parliament.govt.nz /DeborahRussellLabour @beefaerie