- 15% discount for residents and businesses who separate different types of waste at the new sortation area at Waitākere Resource Recovery Park.
- 65–73% of material in participating loads diverted from landfill.
- Trial puts findings from 2025 survey into action.
A new sorting option being trialled at Waitākere Resource Recovery Park is helping Aucklanders save money, with 65 to 73 per cent of material in participating loads being diverted from landfill.
Residents and businesses who sort their loads and use the dedicated sortation area at Waitākere Resource Recovery Park (WRRP) receive a 15 per cent discount on their rubbish disposal costs.
The trial, introduced in August, follows a 2025 Auckland Council survey which found up to 80 tonnes of additional material could be diverted from landfill at WRRP each week if a presorting system was implemented. Timber represented the biggest opportunity, alongside materials including metals, reusable goods, cardboard, green waste and cleanfill.
Auckland Council General Manager Waste Solutions Justine Haves says the trial turns those findings into a cost-effective recovery solution for customers.
“We knew valuable materials were still reaching the tip floor, so we looked at how we could make it easier and more worthwhile for customers to separate them. We encourage customers to pre-sort their loads before visiting our facility to make the unloading of material quicker.” says Ms Haves.
“Waitākere has an increased focus on resource recovery and is much more than the old ‘Henderson tip’. We want to help people to see value in what they’re bringing in and think about what could be reused or recycled before it becomes rubbish.”
Waitākere Ward Councillor Shane Henderson says the trial is showing what can happen when people are given an easy way to do the right thing.
“For many West Aucklanders this place will always be known as the Henderson tip, but it's becoming a place where more materials can be reused, recycled and recovered,” says Cr Henderson.
“The early response to the trial has been really encouraging. Customers are saving money, valuable materials are staying in use, and less is going to landfill. That's a win for our community and for the environment.”
Sort before you tip
A dedicated sortation area has been set up at Gate 5 to give customers the opportunity to separate materials before reaching the tip floor.
The area was set up after the survey found that existing recovery bins around the main tip floor at Gate 8 weren't always easy for customers to see or access.
The sortation area has bins for steel, cardboard, PVC, general plastics, glass, non-ferrous metals and wood, as well as smaller items such as mobile phones, batteries, laptops and fluorescent tubes.
Customers are encouraged to organise their vehicle or trailer before they arrive, so materials can be easily unloaded into the appropriate bins.
Giving useful things another life
The Tipping Point, the community recycling centre operated by McLaren Park Henderson South (MPHS) Community Trust at WRRP, can recover reusable items from the sortation area for its reuse shop and construction and demolition hub. Recent finds include a lawnmower, weed eater and usable timber.
Customers can also separate timber for a lower disposal rate, with suitable wood de-nailed and made available for reuse.
Waitākere Resource Recovery Park is at 50 The Concourse, Henderson.
Find out what you can drop off at Waitākere Resource Recovery Park.