Waimangu Staff Clean up Roadside for Plastic Free July

Inspired by Plastic-Free July, Waimangu staff have picked up 10 bags of litter from the Waimangu Road, and that’s just the beginning.

The drive out to Waimangu Volcanic Valley is stunning. As you turn off State Highway 5 onto Waimangu Road, driving through rural landscape, you’re treated to panoramic views over to Rainbow Mountain. The first glimpse of Mount Tarawera as you turn the corner takes your breath away.

David Blackmore, General Manager at Waimangu Volcanic Valley wants to protect this first impression for their visitors,

“We do so much to ensure that the scenic reserve that we operate in is pristine, it makes sense to expand that to our surrounding area” he said. 

Waimangu staff from all areas of the business have covered the 6km stretch from the turn-off at State Highway 5 to the Waimangu entrance. In that distance, they have collected 10 large bags of rubbish, mostly plastic.

“It’s a bit of an eye opener seeing how just much waste just gets dumped, and really disappointing to see a lot of the items we picked up like the bottles and cans, could be recycled,” said David.

The team plan to tackle the other half of the road, continuing towards Lake Okaro and onto State Highway 38 throughout the rest of the week.

Waimangu Staff Clean up Waimangu Road

The clean-up was timed to coincide with Plastic Free July, but is part of a year-round much wider commitment to sustainability.

“We’re a long way from being plastic free, but we’re making lots of steps in the right direction. We’ve just completed a huge renovation of the café and retail areas, including a switch to more sustainable packaging, sourcing locally made goods and expanding our recycling programme” he said. 

“There’s still lots more we can do to protect our little piece of paradise. It’s great to make a statement for Plastic-Free July, but that’s just the start.”

 

Posted by Nicki Dent on July 23, 2019