Xtreme Zero Waste is a non-profit organization dedicated to

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

and based in the town of Raglan,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

.Xtreme Waste homepage
/ref> In 2014 it was rebranded from Xtreme Waste. According to its mission statement, its goal is to create a

waste management Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitoring ...

system for the Raglan/Whaingaroa community in which none of the trash would be stored in

landfill A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...

s.Mission statement of Xtreme Waste
/ref> Xtreme Waste operates a recycling center in Raglan. This center is open to the public on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and on Saturday from 12:30–4:30 PM. Group tours are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays and are free for groups in the

Waikato District Waikato District is a territorial authority of New Zealand, in the northern part of Waikato region, North Island. Waikato District is administered by the Waikato District Council, with headquarters in Ngāruawāhia. The district is centred to t ...

area, with fees for other groups available upon inquiry.Xtreme Waste
page on Sustainable Greenlist Directory Xtreme Waste provides miniskips, truck delivery services, waste and recycling services and consultancies, and educational programs.Services offered by Xtreme Waste
/ref> Actor and Raglan resident

Antonio Te Maioha Antonio Te Maioha (born 1 February 1970) is a television and film actor from New Zealand. He came to international prominence playing a gladiator Barca, the Beast of Carthage, in the television drama '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'' and its preque ...

has publicly spoken about Xtreme Waste's accomplishments and his own involvement in Raglan's recycling program.Video of Antonio Te Maioha speaking about Xtreme Waste and Raglan's recycling program
/ref>

History

The organization was founded in 2000, after Raglan's landfill closed and the town decided to find an alternative to transporting all its waste to a tip in the Waikato. Since 2000, it has recycled an increasing volume and percentage of waste every year. As of 2010, Xtreme Waste prevents over 70% of the community's waste from reaching the landfill and employs 24 workers part-time.Xtreme Waste page on Prometheus Finance Ltd. website

The organization has won numerous awards, including a 2002 Waikato Business and Environment Award, a 2005 Waikatari City Council "Change Catalyst" Award, a 2005 New Zealand Ministry for the Environment's "Green Ribbon" Award and a 2006 Sustainable Business Network "Social Responsibility" Award. In 2010, Xtreme Waste was one of three New Zealand recycling projects to be funded by the New Zealand Government's Waste Minimization Fund, receiving a $21,740 grant.
M2 PressWIRE, 3 November 2010. Most of the grant money will be used for a study determining the feasibility of converting organic waste, particularly

food waste Food loss and waste is food that is not eaten. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during production, processing, distribution, retail and food service sales, and consumption. Overall, about o ...

, to compost. The study is projected to be complete by June 2011, after which Xtreme Waste will decide whether it will go ahead with a trial.Recycling organisation to use grant money for research.
''Radio New Zealand'' broadcast, 4 November 2010. The grant was announced in November 2010 by Nick Smith, New Zealand's Minister for the Environment and the trial started in 2012 with 100 houses in Raglan West. In 2015 the food waste collection was included in a new 5-year contract, with a provision to move the funding to a targeted rate. As part of its education programme, Xtreme has run a recycled raft race since 2004.Xtreme Zero Waste logo and information about 2015 raft race
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References

{{reflist

External links

Xtreme WasteXtreme Zero Waste interview about new contract
11 September 2015, Raglan Community Radio Environment of Waikato Recycling organizations Non-profit organisations based in New Zealand Waste in New Zealand Raglan, New Zealand