Botany Town Centre Takes Steps To A Sustainable Future

East Auckland’s Botany Town Centre is adopting leading-edge eco-strategies in order to achieve a sustainable future. The centre is committed to reducing waste by recycling and has set the ambitious goal for 2009 of achieving a 30% recycling rate by further enhancing its sustainability initiatives. Overseas centres that are leading the way in taking sustainability to the next level are Australia’s Rouse Hill Town Centre and the UK’s Eastgate Shopping Centre - both are among the new standard-setters: Rouse Hill Town Centre is reducing its ecological footprint by 25% and Eastgate Shopping Centre has seen an impressive 70% reduction in water use.

“We are really seeing the benefits of reducing waste by recycling at Botany Town Centre. In 2008 alone we recycled nearly 17 tonnes of paper and cardboard and the same weight in glass, plastic and aluminium. We plan to achieve this 30% recycling rate by actively involving all our retailers and educating them on the centre’s recycling and waste reduction efforts,” says Botany Town Centre Operations Manager Jasprit Singh.
Late last year, Botany Town Centre opened a Lollipops play centre and unveiled a new Children’s Garden and play area in the heart of the centre. As part of the centre’s sustainability initiatives, it contracted Scope Demolition to ensure the clearing of the site before the construction would have minimal effect on the environment.

“We follow strict guidelines in waste reduction and recycling measures with each demolition we undertake,” says Scope Demolition General Manager Mark Dignan. “With sites such as Botany Town Centre, part of our role is to remain as ‘invisible’ as possible to ensure minimal disruption to existing site users and traffic flow.”

Mr Singh said 97% of all materials were recycled – a figure based on a weight measurement of the materials taken from the site. “This is a result we are very pleased with, and we will continue to ensure developments at the centre have a low impact on the environment.”

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About Botany Town Centre
Situated approximately 19km southeast of Auckland, Botany Town Centre is one of New Zealand’s largest retail developments, with 169 specialty stores. Its retailers range from Dick Smith Electronics to Rebel Sports and a full complement of banks, fashion stores, and New Zealand’s most popular café and restaurant chains. The centre includes one of Auckland’s largest Farmers stores and a New World supermarket. The centre provides diverse entertainment choices from the Circle Lounge at Berkeley Cinema to the award-winning Cock and Bull pub. In addition to its retail offering, Botany Town Centre is a community hub for other services including the Botany Library, the Community Constable, and a variety of medical and health providers.