It's official, recycling has commenced in earnest in the Wakatipu Basin with the launch today of a free recycling station at Frankton.

"This is a small start to a very big project," Queenstown Lakes District Council Mayor Clive Geddes said.

"Recycling is now a reality in the Wakatipu and there will be major new projects coming on stream in the next few months," he said.

Not only was a temporary recycling station officially opened today (Tuesday) but the event marked the countdown to the now completed plans for the dedicated Wakatipu Resource Recovery Park.  Balloons festooned the new green station and Waste Management Strategy committee chairwoman Councillor Christine Kelly had the honor of cutting the ribbon.

"Queenstown can justify being on the clean green map," Mr Geddes said.

This was due to the combined efforts of a lot of people over a long time.

"Council now has a Waste Management Strategy and the resources to put it into place. It's the result of a lot of work by a lot of people," he said.

Plans for the $260,000 Resource Recovery Park, which will herald the introduction of kerbside recycling in the Wakatipu were unveiled at today's launch.

"We are preparing to call for expressions of interest with a view to completing the park in the 2004/05 financial year," Queenstown Lakes District Council waste minimisation officer Dr Linda Wright said.

Once the park was completed, kerbside recycling would be introduced to the area.

"In the meantime we felt there was good demand and good reason to begin a recycling service in the interim," Dr Wright said.

In particular the council wanted to encourage families to begin recycling.

"We are about to launch a major recycling campaign at Wanaka , where kerbside recycling will be introduced in the New Year and we thought why not give people in the Wakatipu an opportunity to get started,"she said.

The temporary station (two transformed containers) would take household plastics 1 and 2, glass, tins, cans and paper and cardboard.

"There will be no charge for the service but don't forget to wash and squash when it comes to the tins and plastic," Dr Wright said.

Unfortunately the temporary station could not cater to commercial recycling, although a service for recycling commercial plastic, cardboard and paper was already available courtesy of the Wakatipu Waste Recyclers Limited.

ENDS

For further information please contact Linda Wright 03 441 0499.

By: Kiri