Wastebusters is known throughout Aotearoa New Zealand for its zero waste leadership. For more than two decades, we have been working at a grassroots level with integrity and passion. 

Our story began back in 1999, when people living in Wānaka and Hāwea, sick of having to send all their waste to the landfill, decided to take action. The community got together and built Wastebusters from the ground up. In 2000, the Wānaka recycling centre and reuse shop on Ballantyne Road opened.

We started the Wānaka kerbside recycling collections for QLDC in 2005, and held the contract for six years. In 2007, we developed and launched the hugely popular Dr Compost programme, we also brought Zero Waste Education and Enviroschools programmes to schools across the district.

From 2011-2014, Wastebusters ran our UnPackit Awards, a fun and engaging campaign which targeted ridiculous packaging across the country. We began working at events, providing real recycling solutions for events including Rhythm & Alps, Wānaka A&P Show and Challenge Wānaka. 

In 2015, when community-owned Central Otago Wastebusters faced financial collapse, their Board asked Wānaka Wastebusters to help. We agreed, but soon after we took over Central Otago Wastebusters, fire destroyed the recycling shed and the reuse shop on the Alexandra site. Luckily, even Buster the shop cat escaped unharmed and thanks to community support, we continued our reuse and recycling activities while rebuilding.

We launched our Resourceful Communities programme in 2019, and with funding from the Ministry for the Environment and Queenstown Lakes District Council waste minimisation fund we expanded our zero waste impact through repair, research and dedicated engagement campaigns. In the same year we began delivery of the district’s waste education and communications programme.

In 2020, we celebrated 20 years of leading the way to zero waste!

We also launched our Repair Revolution events and Slow Fashion campaign across the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago districts. In 2022, we joined the Re-Action collective to ensure new and pre-loved uniforms could be kept in use. A year later, our new workshop series Low Waste Living: Households was launched to help our communities find ways to reduce waste at home. 

In 2023, Wastebusters had to make the difficult decision to close down the Alexandra reuse shop and recycling services. For eight years, the Wānaka operations for Wastebusters had subsided the running of the Boundary Road site and services.

When the Alexandra site lease came up for renewal, Wastebusters had to face up to the reality that it was not financially viable to continue operating the Alexandra reuse shop and recycling services. With sadness, and huge appreciation for the community support and aroha, we closed the gates on 30 June.