Government fund whittles down wood waste
The Government is supporting the collection and recycling of Tauranga’s untreated wood waste with a modest grant from its Waste Minimisation Fund.
The $359,000 grant has enabled Goodwood Ltd to divert a portion of the estimated 44 tonnes of untreated timber destined for Tauranga’s landfill each week. The Tauranga-based company collects untreated wood waste and recycles it to make animal bedding for the dairy industry, garden mulch, commercial motorway mulch and playground bark.
A wood grinder was purchased with a $280,000 contribution from the Government’s Waste Minimisation Fund. The installation of the new grinder has enabled a four-fold increase in production, meaning Goodwood can now process bigger volumes of wood they are receiving that would otherwise be sent to landfill.
Goodwood was awarded a further $79,000 to increase the efficiency of wood processing and reduce production costs. This will enable it to extend wood waste collections across the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions.
The Government’s Waste Minimisation Fund was established in 2009 and is funded by a levy of $10 per tonne charged on waste disposed of at landfills. Over $60 million has been awarded to more than 100 projects to date.
Further information on the Waste Minimisation Fund is available from: www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/waste/waste-minimisation-fund/index.html
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