Wastebusters wins Supreme Award, Sustainable Business & Impact Award, and Community Contribution Award at Wānaka Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards.
When the Wānaka Chamber of Commerce announced its finalists for their Business Excellence Awards, we were thrilled to learn that Wastebusters had been named as finalists in three of the awards categories. Even greater was the delight when we were named the winner in two of these: Business Sustainability & Environmental Impact and Community Contribution.
These two awards capture the essence of Wastebusters’ mission and reflect a huge part of the work that we do across all areas of the business, from our Reuse shop and our business recycling services to our many workshops and education programmes. Feedback from the judges noted that our “reduce, reuse, recycle” model has catalysed significant behavioural changes, building a culture of sustainability” while our “dedication to education, business consultancy, and empowering local communities has contributed profoundly to both environmental and economic sustainability.”
As if this weren’t enough for one evening, we were stunned and elated when Wastebusters was presented with the Supreme Business award for, quoting the judges again, “demonstrating outstanding leadership, strategy, and execution across all aspects of your operations.”
We think of Wastebusters as being a bit like the Hotel California: you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave. When you have become part of the Wasties fabric – whether as a team member, a Friend of Wastebusters, a board member, a shop customer, a business who recycles with us or one of the hundreds of people who’ve attended our events, you’re tightly woven into our story. A huge thank you, then, to our incredible whānau – the Wastebusters team, past and present – whose hard work, passion, and sense of fun make it all possible. And to our community, who recycle, donate, shop secondhand, and show up to support us – this is your win too.
Wastebusters was built by the community for the community by true pioneers – zero-waste visionaries who pursued their vision with clarity and courage, even when it wasn’t easy or popular. They laid the foundation, and together we’ve created something special: a place to connect, learn and take action for the environment, before it’s too late.
As we approach our 25th anniversary next year, this recognition feels especially meaningful. We’re constantly looking ahead to what’s next – for Wastebusters, for our communities, locally and globally. Buoyed by this recognition from our business community, we’re more excited than ever to see what the next 25 years of Wastebusters will take us and we hope you’ll join us along the way!
