Five washing machines, six box freezers, a ride-on lawn mower and a retro lounge suite were only some of the two tonnes of items taken to the Katikati Resource Recovery Centre.

“From 9am to 4pm we had about 460 vehicles come through the gate to support the Resource Recovery Centre,” says Chrome Collective manager Sharaine Steenberg.

The objective of last weekend’s trial was to test the feasibility of the project and determine how many people will bring in items.

Once the results are in, the centre will decide if they can open a retail facility on-site.

This trial is part of a circular economy cycle project that can be done right here in the Western Bay.

“There isn’t a resource recovery centre in the Western Bay or Tauranga.

“The turnout was incredible, people were already positive to learn more about how they can support us better.”

Two tonnes of items were donated on one weekend. Photo supplied.

Sharaine says the outcome of last weekend shone a spotlight on the need for this service in Western Bay.

“It was mind-blowing, and it’s not a criticism of the council because they try their best and we couldn’t have done any of this without their support, but we don’t have a transfer station, so now the only option people have is dumping it or illegal dumping next to the highways, which we see a lot of.”

Now it’s really about keeping up the momentum, she says.

They received 12 computer screens and plasma-type monitors, TV screens, five washing machines, six box freezers, and loads of stereos, she says.

“Katikati is an elderly community so we had a lot of people cleaning out the sheds with tools that they don’t need, so the lawnmowers and the leaf blowers and the nuts and bolts.

“We got a retro lounge suite that we are trying to find an owner for, there was even a ride-on lawn mower from one of the local farmers.

Sharaine was regretting getting the retro lounge suite, however, “Within two hours we had three people asking if they could buy it from us.

Sharaine Steenberg and customer. Photo supplied.

“So the thing is, we might think that something is junk and trash, but for someone else, it’s something valuable.

“The possibilities are endless of what you can bring in.

“We try to tell people, you can bring in anything as long as it’s reusable, clean and not too much rust.

“A lot of people were really excited because now you can bring those printers and old computers, even if they’re not working, you can still bring them in.

“We got a lot of computers and devices and old cell phones and charging cables, boxes and boxes full of charging cables,” Sharaine says.

“We’re looking for more possible places to do some pop-up centres, just to get into these local spaces and invite people to volunteer.

“Waste Watches came out to help us with the traffic management on Thursday and they were so good at just standing at the gate and telling people what it's about, educating, and telling the story about Chrome Collective because ultimately the reason behind it all is for us to save the planet, but to create long-term employment opportunities for people with disabilities.”

Chrome Collective aims to immerse those with disabilities into the wider community. Photo supplied.

Chrome Collective aims to immerse those with disabilities into the wider community, including helping them gain employment opportunities, says Sharaine.

“On Saturday, we’ve got 25 participants in Chrome.

“We’ve got a big community of people, but because it’s people with disabilities a lot of them can’t help us with picking up heavy stuff. We still need those volunteers to help us with the heavy lifting.

“If there’s anyone out there that wants to help us, we are happy to oblige and give them a nice job to do with us.”

If you want to volunteer or learn more about the project, you can email Sharaine Steenberg at sharaine@cultivateculture.co.nz.