Auckland Council

Hoko / Shop

Think before you buy. How was it made, how long will it last, how much power will it use, what will you do with it once you no longer want it?

Resources

Community recycling centre

Community recycling centres

Our aim with community recycling centres is to reduce waste to landfill by reusing, re-purposing and recycling as much as possible.

Find a community recycling centre →

FutureFit Carbon Calculator

FutureFit: Discover your impact

Join the movement of individuals harnessing the collective force of individual action. Discover your carbon footprint with FutureFit, then choose actions and goals tailored to you. Track your progress, share with others and celebrate your success.

Find out your carbon footprint →

Think before you buy preview image

Think before you buy

It can be so tempting to buy that new top, appliance or gadget, but it’s worth pausing a moment to question first whether you really need it, whether an existing item could do the job already, or whether second-hand is a better option. This is one of the easiest ways to save some serious money, and prevent the waste of so many usable or fixable things you already have.

Of course we don’t mean groceries, but how much can you not buy new? Try your hand at second-hand shopping at some of Auckland’s great op- shops, check TradeMe, search Facebook for local buy/sell or giving groups, and use sites like Neighbourly to swap items with your neighbours.

Try looking up fix-it videos on YouTube or guides from ifixit.com. If you’d rather leave it to the experts, for only a gold coin you can bring items needing repair to your local Repair Café for expert repairers in your community to fix it up for you. Follow Repair Café Auckland on Facebook to find the next Repair Café near you.

Libraries aren’t just for books! Hiring or borrowing may not always be your first thought when you need something specific, but next time you need that board game, puzzle, dress, drill or wheelbarrow, why not see if you can hire it locally, or borrow off family, friends or neighbours? Toy libraries are a good place to start, there are plenty right across Auckland.

Try selling items on TradeMe, posting them on Neighbourly as free to a good home, donating them to your local second-hand shop, or dropping them off at your local community recycling centre for recycling and reuse.  

Check out some of the central city’s offerings as a starting point for your next adventure.  Find your local or start your own clothes swap – check out the 20weekchallenge. You can find reasonably priced quality second hand clothes and items easily on other online shops like Designer Wardrobe, Carousell, Childer, or TradeMe.

It can be hard to remember those bags, so try stashing them in all the places you’re likely to need one – a few in the car, a couple of collapsible ones in your bag, and one on the door handle so you can’t miss it when leaving the house.

Take this action and you could save 10 kg of CO2 per year - the equivalent embodied emissions of 43 large cappuccinos.  

Buy yourself one good quality reusable water bottle that you enjoy using and keep in your bag (or wherever it’ll be easy to remember). If you enjoy using it, you won’t need to buy a drink on the run.

Find out where you can refill by visiting the RefillNZ website or downloading their app (Apple only).  You can also locate Auckland’s 370-plus public drinking fountains using the Akl Paths website.

Take this action and you could save 3 kg of CO2e per year - the equivalent embodied emissions from the production of 38 bananas.

Either sit down and enjoy your coffee at the cafe, or buy yourself a good quality reusable coffee cup that you enjoy using and keep in your bag (or wherever it’ll be easy to remember). If you forget, consider not having a coffee at all – that way you’ll definitely remember next time.

Take this action and you could save 3 kg of CO2e emissions - that's like running the BBQ for one hour.

Spreading waste-free awareness preview image

"I wanted to care more about the way my household are as consumers, and to care for the wellbeing of my family’s health."

Marcial
Read Marcial's story
The conscious consumer preview image

"Your belongings gain emotional value when you care about where they come from and how they were made."

Rose
Read Rose's story

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