Millions of dollars worth of unwanted office items and end of line products end up in New Zealand landfills every year.

But an Auckland charity is turning that around by working with businesses to redirect their waste and repurpose unwanted items, helping hundreds of community groups in the process.

With support from the Waste Minimisation Innovation Fund (WMIF), All Heart NZ has been able to save more than 2,389 tonnes of materials from landfill. More than $6 million worth of goods have been donated to 300+ communities in the past few years.

“80% of waste in Auckland landfills is actually from the commercial sector, not households. Organisations like All Heart NZ are helping make it easy to reduce waste while meeting the needs of the local community,” says Councillor Richard Hills, chair of Auckland Council’s Environment and Climate Change committee.

"They are employing people, upskilling local volunteers, and supporting more communities, all while getting us a step closer to zero waste."

National Director Joe Youssef started the charity in 2016 after seeing a room full of unwanted office goods at a friend’s business.

Since then All Heart NZ has grown from its North Shore base. They set up the South Auckland hub last year, enabling them to increase the amount of materials repurposed back into the community.

“It’s about creating a circular economy solution. The more we can stop from ending up in landfill, the less negative impact we are having on our environment,” says Joe.

“But it isn’t just about that. It is also about helping community groups, schools, churches, and not-for-profits, allowing them to free up funds to invest more in the projects that help our society.”

Businesses are encouraged to think about materials they could donate. All Heart makes it easy for places to pass along items. A small thing like a box of diaries can make a big difference to a local school. Tangaroa College students, in Ōtara, are using donated notebooks for personal reflection, short term goal setting, and reminders of important school dates. The students of Wiri’s On Demand Logistics are using donated diaries to help them achieve certifications in truck, forklift, and elevated work platform licences.