Pete Phillips casts his eyes over the piles of recycled goods at Wanaka Wastebusters and mutters to himself.
"It's unbelievable where it all comes from. People just keep on bringing it in."
Mr Phillips is breaking down cast-off whiteware items in the scrap-metal yard at the Wastebusters facility.
Many of the whiteware and electronic items are recovered from Wanaka businesses and then turned around with different elements broken down for reusable parts.
"See this washing machine here. I'll take this apart and use the internal [agitator] to make a brazier. Then we'll sell it," he says with a wry smile.
Mr Phillips is one of about 30 staff at Wanaka Wastebusters - employees who are passionate about the positive work they are doing to help the environment through recycling.
The crew is gearing up for Wastebusters' big 10-year celebration today, Mr Phillips tells the Otago Daily Times.
"A lot of people have worked hard to make this place a success. Look at everything that's here," he says.
"If that all went to landfill, then 30 years down the track, it would be your kids who will have to deal with it all. That's what it is about, keeping the future clean for them," he says.
Wanaka Wastebusters has grown to become one of the town's largest employers, with more than 30 staff and a million-dollar plus payroll, since it first opened its doors on September 1, 2000.
Founded by a vocal community who wanted to be among the first in Otago to take steps towards achieving environmentally sustainable practices themselves, Wanaka Wastebusters puts all of its profits back into local initiatives.
At the time, the concept of recycling was still in its infancy and Wanaka Wastebusters set itself a pioneering agenda to recover 70% of resources from the waste-stream by 2014.
Founding Wastebusters board chairman Dr Dennis Pezaro said recycling programmes had been in place at Wanaka from around the 1990s and the move to a business-oriented approach a decade ago had "happened at the right time".
An "enthusiastic" response from the local community had boosted the start-up organisation, Dr Pezaro said.
"We had a huge and rapid buy-in from local businesses, who supplied us with materials and contributed towards income.
"[Wastebusters] was superbly managed in its early days. There were no rules to work from and they [management] had to feel their own way in the beginning."
The organisation's premises at Ballantyne Rd is a site "where Kiwi ingenuity reigns", he said.
"We are a recycling outfit, which is probably the most distance from any major port in New Zealand. If we can recycle, than anyone can recycle," Dr Pezaro said.
He will be joined by fellow founding member, former Queenstown Lakes deputy mayor Sally Middleton at today's anniversary celebrations.
Mrs Middleton said the founders of the recycling enterprise had pursued their goals, despite scepticism from naysayers, such as former Queenstown Lakes mayor Warren Cooper.
"He told us we were dreaming when we pushed for support for our recycling initiatives.
"I remember going around to sit on his veranda and telling him I wasn't leaving until he promised to give us some financial support."
Wastebusters had a launch funding goal of $35,000, she said.
The Otago Regional Council provided $20,000, which prompted the QLDC to contribute to the cause, Mrs Middleton said.
She recalled the community spirit from the many volunteers who had helped get the yard premises up and running.
"It was all voluntary labour behind the main building. We used to head down there on weekends to warm pies and make cheese toasties for all the helpers. Everyone just pitched in to make it happen," Mrs Middleton said.
Wastebusters is contracted to deliver a range of services on behalf of the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
These include kerbside and street bin collection, education about zero-waste strategies, the Enviro Schools programme, and the national e-day collection.
Time to recycle
Wanaka Wastebusters decade anniversary carnival:
• 10am: Opening ceremony.
• Noon: High Silks aerial acrobatic troupe.
• 12.30pm: Wanaka and Hawea Ukulele Group performance.
• 2pm: Wastebusters fashion show.
• 7pm: Anniversary afterparty, Lake Wanaka Centre.
