Northland Waste has secured resource consent to build a recycling centre on three hectares of land at 183 Sandspit Road, which will cost about $5 million. Construction on this new recycling centre has already begun and is expected to be completed by April, 2021.

Northland Waste chief executive Ray Lambert says that Northland Waste has the same ethos as Mahurangi Wastebusters, who operate the Lawrie Road and Rustybrook sites: to recycle as much as possible and minimise the amount of rubbish going into landfill. He has also said that the new center will be a new, modern indoor facility, superior to Lawrie Road.

This news comes after Auckland council allocated around $2.4 million for upgrades to the Wastebusters centre. 

Northland Waste is not happy with this, saying the investment is a waste of money when a new facility will soon be available in Warkworth.

Rather than duplicate facilities, Mr. Lambert says council could have spent the $2.4 million on something different and achieved better environmental outcomes.

“Why don’t they plant some more trees or build a walking or cycling track from Snells Beach to Warkworth or something?” he asks.

He adds that money going to Lawrie Road undermines Northland Waste’s own investment in the community, making it more difficult for Northland Waste to compete. He says Northland Waste can provide the same service at a cheaper price but at no cost to ratepayers or taxpayers.

An Auckland Council spokesperson says money invested in the Lawrie Road and Rustybrook Road recycling centres comes from the government’s “shovel ready” fund, which was open for applications from any organisation and awarded on merit.