To help customers recycle more than is accepted in kerbside collections, The Warehouse has launched its first My Recycle Hub at its Royal Oak store in Auckland, part of a national rollout.

Customers can recycle 10 different types of ‘hard-to-recycle’ items such as coffee capsules, hair care and beauty products, skincare, apparel, writing instruments, plastic bags and toys at this unit.

The Warehouse Group’s chief sustainability officer, David Benattar, described the new initiative as a “game changer” as it addresses the impact waste has on the environment.

“Our research showed 72 per cent of Kiwis wanted to do more when it came to sustainability, and they were looking to brands to help them do this. 

“I encourage customers to try it – collect up your recycling, bring it to the hub, use our easy sort bins that are side-by-side and know that we’ll work with experts to make sure it’s recycled appropriately.”

Last year, the retailer collected 10.9 million pieces of single-use plastics through its Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme in 34 stores. 

Dylan Weymouth, the business operations lead at The Warehouse Group, said the business will gain insights from this hub and use it to enhance its national roll-out.

The My Recycle Hub initiative was developed in partnership with global and New Zealand recycling organisations like TerraCycle and the Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme, which will collect the items when the hub is full.  

• Further reading: The Warehouse Group posts sales increase across all brands